Mennonite Youth Speak Out About Affordable Housing at Pasadena City Council

Five youth from the Pasadena Mennonite Church went to the Pasadena City Council in December 2023 and spoke out about the need to address the homelessness crisis and change zoning to make it possible to build more multifamily housing throughout the city and thereby reduce the cost of housing. Here's a summary of what they said: “People who can’t afford to buy or rent a single-family home cannot afford to live in a single-family zone. This is segregating our city by how much money people make.” ~ Jude Bautista, 15 years old. “Every person without a home is someone’s neighbor, someone’s family member, and someone who deserves compassion and opportunity. We need to stop homelessness because it tarnishes the values we hold as a community, values of empathy, justice, and care for one another. It is not enough to simply build shelters, we need comprehensive solutions that address the root causes, like affordable housing, mental health services, job opportunities and social support. Together we have the power to turn the tide. By acting with urgency, compassion, and collaboration, we can end homelessness in Pasadena and create a city where everyone, no matter their circumstance, can thrive.” ~ Jax Rewers.16 years old. “State law requires affordable housing to be spread evenly throughout the city. Single-family zoning covers 70% of Pasadena, preventing this. Therefore, single-family zoning is violating this law.” ~ Grayson Schnitger, 12 years old. “In 2021 the Pew Research Center found that on average, white families have around nine times the amount of wealth as the average black family. This means that more white families can live in single family zones than their black peers. Historically single-family zoning laws have been used to segregate white and black people since 1916 when it was first implemented in Berkeley, California.” ~ Thomas Jost, 13 years old. Yul Hur, 15 years old, shared about the experience of his family being able to purchase an affordable home through Heritage Housing Partners and experiencing homelessness for 2 months while waiting until their new home was available to move into.