Glendora is fixing its homelessness problem.
With growth of those experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles slowing over two years, Glendora’s unsheltered population has decreased as city governments, nonprofit organizations and individual citizens work to address root causes of homelessness.
“San Gabriel Valley really is doing a lot,” said Debbie Lopez, Glendora’s Human Resources Superintendent. “We have done a beautiful job at housing people on our scale, not an L.A. scale, but in our city.”
City Net conducted a two-day census in November 2021, indicating 113 people are experiencing homelessness. Of the 91 that agreed to participate in a survey for the city, 41% identified as chronically homeless or homeless for more than a year.
City Net said 2022 saw a decrease in homeless populations of 26.6% in Glendora.
Glendora Mayor Karen Davis said this decrease has been a result of intentional collaboration between the Glendora city council, city staff, Los Angeles County, and their nonprofit partners in the past two years.
Davis said she recognizes they must first understand the root causes of homelessness.
“Each case is different.There are folks that suffer from mental illness, substance abuse, people who have been underemployed or lost their job,” Davis said.
Davis said she noted that many citizens are met with the concern of affordable housing.
“We have been looking at possible sights in Glendora that we can build emergency and transitional housing,” Davis said. “The long-term goal is to have more options in terms of affordable housing so that folks can stay housed.”
Lopez said she echoed these sentiments as she witnessed firsthand the efforts made by Glendora.
“We are one of the cities that are actually putting our money where our mouth is,” Lopez said. “Our city council has … applied for grant funding and we have really used our money wisely to house people.”
Lopez said Glendora citizen’s role in this issue is to advocate.
“As we look at creating some housing we are going to need people to … be advocates.”
Lopez also said that individuals can dial 2-1-1 if they notice a homeless person and are concerned.
Davis and Lopez said collaboration, especially with surrounding cities, is crucial.
“It’s not just a city by city problem,” Davis said. “We need to talk as a group together and ensure everyone is doing their part.”
