Pasadena city staff want to build a year-round homeless shelter with up to 100 beds for single adults, according to a memorandum prepared for the Housing, Homelessness and Planning Committee's Wednesday, July 1 meeting.

The committee is strictly advisory. Any shelter recommendation must go to the full City Council, which retains final authority over whether a facility is built, where it goes, and how it's funded.

Acting Assistant City Manager Jennifer Paige outlined the proposal in the memo, asking the committee to weigh in on two threshold questions: how quickly a shelter could open, and who it would serve. The shelter is one of the City Council's top five priorities in the Fiscal Year 2027 budget.

The data driving the proposal is stark. The 2026 Point-in-Time Homeless Count found 322 people living unsheltered in Pasadena. Every one of them was a single adult.

Staff proposed a non-congregate shelter with separate sleeping quarters and bathrooms for men and women, and a target stay of 90 to 180 days. The facility would be low-barrier, meaning no sobriety or ID requirements to enter, and would offer on-site case management, housing navigation, and potentially co-located physical and behavioral health services.

A commercial kitchen is also part of the plan. Staff wrote that it would cut ongoing operating costs and create opportunities for community involvement.

Staff pointed to Houston's "Super Hub" at 419 Emancipation Avenue as a model. That facility opened under a soft launch in early June 2026 with about 80 residents and can eventually house nearly 200 people. It operates as a triage point connecting people to healthcare, substance use programs, and permanent housing. Staff suggested the concept could work in Pasadena on a smaller scale.

Rose Palace and site evaluation

Staff wrote that they would study the Rose Palace as a potential shelter location and evaluate other sites for comparison. The work plan calls for a site discussion at a future committee meeting, though no specific date has been set. No details about the Rose Palace's current condition or ownership were included in the memorandum.

The city has not released a cost estimate for the shelter. Staff identified cost evaluations as a future task in their four-part work plan, which also covers shelter details, timeline, and site selection.

What happens next

Staff proposed making shelter updates a standing item on the committee's future agendas. The committee, chaired by Mayor Victor Gordo and including council members Rick Cole, Justin Jones, and Jason Lyon, meets the first Wednesday of each month at 5 p.m. at Pasadena City Hall, 100 North Garfield Avenue, Room S249.

An interdepartmental team drawn from Housing, Planning and Community Development, Public Works, Public Health, Parks and Recreation, and the City Manager's Office is leading the work. The team's work plan was presented to the City Council during budget discussions on Monday, June 8.