GUEST OPINION
Rose Town Apartments at 170 N. Halstead Street in Pasadena (Photo – W.K.)
Most affordable housing in our city has been built for seniors and people experiencing homelessness.
By Anthony Manousos
Making Housing and Community Happen (MHCH), the nonprofit that my wife, Jill Shook, and I founded, has enthusiastically supported these projects because they meet a critical need. After all, we do not want elderly people living on the streets. It is also important to address the housing needs of low-income families, many of whom send their children to public schools.
It is encouraging that four affordable housing developments have been proposed or built in Northwest Pasadena, with many two- and three-bedroom units designated for low-income families:
- Colorado Grand Oaks, approved by the Design Commission on May 12, is located at 2155 E. Colorado Boulevard and includes 214 units, 116 of which are reserved for low-income families.
- Rose Town Apartments, which opened last year at 170 N. Halstead Street, includes 28 affordable units for families.
- Rosemead Apartments, located at 600 N. Rosemead Boulevard and unanimously approved by the City Council on May 18, will include 68 units for low-income families.
- Colorado Crest, an 88-unit, 100% affordable apartment development proposed for 1756–1776 E. Colorado Boulevard, will include two- and three-bedroom units for families.
Because all of these units will be affordable to families likely to send their children to public schools, the project could provide significant benefits to PUSD.
These affordable apartments would house working families who provide essential services and deserve the opportunity to live in the community they support. Pasadena relies on restaurant workers, house cleaners, dry cleaners, and many other essential employees.
At MHCH, we are deeply concerned about declining enrollment in PUSD. District enrollment has fallen steadily over the past decade, from 17,267 students in 2014–15 to 13,757 in 2024–25, contributing to the district’s current budget challenges.
The spreadsheet below illustrates how these developments could benefit PUSD. I estimated the number of potential students by assuming that each two-bedroom unit would house one child and each three-bedroom unit would house two children. I then calculated the financial impact based on state funding tied to Average Daily Attendance (ADA), which generally ranges from $8,000 to $12,000 per student per year.
Using those assumptions, I estimate that the three affordable family housing developments already built or approved in east Pasadena could generate between $2.5 million and $3.8 million in annual funding for PUSD. The family units at Colorado Crest would provide additional revenue. That would be welcome news for our cash-strapped public school system.
Dr. Anthony Manousos is co-founder of Making Housing and Community Happen, a nonprofit committed to housing justice and affordability. He lives in District 1 in northwest Pasadena.
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