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San Gabriel Valley’s first tiny home village offers hope to unhoused Baldwin Park residents Community members and officials gathered Saturday morning to laud the opening of a village of 25 tiny homes in the City of Baldwin Park as offering hope to unhoused neighbors. Esperanza (“Hope”) Villa is the first tiny home village of its kind in the San Gabriel Valley, and unsheltered residents of Baldwin Park will begin moving into the units over Thanksgiving week. “Baldwin Park is proud to spearhead this unique effort to combat homelessness in the San Gabriel Valley. Tiny homes provide the safety and privacy that is lacking in more traditional congregate shelters, while helping residents transition to permanent housing,” said Emmanuel J. Estrada, Mayor of Baldwin Park, where a recent survey counted more than 500 people experiencing homelessness. “Wrap-around resources and services, coupled with a stable and secure environment, will help restore hope to our neighbors experiencing homelessness.” Esperanza Villa consists of 25 heated and air-
Dignitaries at grand opening of Esperanza Villa. | Photo courtesy of San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments
conditioned tiny homes with a bed, desk, and outlet to charge devices. The 64-square-foot units are intended to provide bridge housing for about three months before residents are placed in permanent housing, allowing up to 100 people a year to be served. Volunteers of America Los Angeles will operate the site and provide on-site supportive services including case manage-
ment, three daily delivered meals, secured site access and 24-hour security, and connections to health and mental health services. Additional site amenities include restrooms, laundry and shower facilities, and a dog run. “Residents of other sites have told us how life changing it is to have a door with a lock. Providing security and stability and being connected
to supportive services will be the first step toward ending homelessness for the residents of Esperanza Villa,” said Monrovia Councilmember Becky Shevlin, President of the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments, which sponsored state legislation authorizing the Trust. The City of Baldwin Park, the San Gabriel Valley Regional Housing Trust, and the San Gabriel Valley
Council of Governments, or SGVCOG, funded and developed the village in partnership. The City of Baldwin Park provided the site at 14173 Garvey Avenue, dedicated staff time to coordinate the project and offered in-kind labor. The Trust and SGVCOG provided technical assistance, $500,000 in grant funding for site preparation and the acquisition of the homes and facilities, and $800,000 for the first
year of operation, with options to fund additional years of operation. “I commend the City of Baldwin Park for its leadership and am pleased that community members are warmly welcoming their newly housed neighbors by preparing hygiene kits and through many other helpful volunteer activities. The tiny home concept is catching on and we look forward to opening another village soon in partnership with the City of Montebello,” said Claremont Mayor Pro Tem Jed Leano, Chairman of the Trust’s Board of Directors. “Southern California is the epicenter of the homelessness crisis in America. We need to deploy multiple strategies, including temporary and permanent supportive housing with additional services, and advocate for funding to provide the resources needed to respond to this crisis,” said Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-Pasadena). Chu has been highly interactive in the pursuit of local accessible living, as See Tiny home village Pg 03
13-year-old Pasadena boy killed by stray bullet while playing in his bedroom By City News Service
P
asadena police Monday continued their efforts to find the person responsible for killing a 13-year-old boy who was shot
by a stray bullet as he played video games in his bedroom. The shooting occurred at 6:12 p.m. Saturday in the 900 block of North Raymond Avenue, near Mountain Street, when a stray bullet was shot
through a window, according to Pasadena police Cmdr. Mark Goodman. Arriving officers performed CPR on the boy and paramedics rushed him to a hospital, where he was pronounced
dead, Goodman said. The boy was identified by family members as Iran Moreno-Balvaneda, ABC7 reported. The coroner's office has not released the boy's name. No arrests have been
reported, city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian told City News Service on Monday afternoon. The target of Saturday's shooting was unknown, but it did not appear to be the boy, Goodman said.
Investigators had no suspect information but were asking the public to come forward with information. See 13-year-old Pasadena boy Pg 03