Union Station Homeless Services Celebrates a Half-Century

On Thursday night, Oct. 19, 2023, Union Station Homeless Services celebrated 50 years of tireless growth and expansion of their mission to the homeless in Pasadena.

By Briony James

A gala event was held on October 19, at Noor, a popular venue in the Paseo Colorado. Local political representatives, dignitaries, volunteers, staff members and clients joined in a celebration of their half-century of good work. The venue provided a lovely array of appetizers, a full bar, and specialties of the house during the presentation.

That presentation was a moving video and live production detailing each decade of Union Station as it grew from a small, inter-faith-based group from All Saints Episcopal Church Pasadena in a $100-a-month storefront on Union Street, to a multi-million dollar enterprise that has an over 97% rate of success in bringing homeless persons from the street to permanent housing, and to becoming leaders and voices for their communities.

Union Station has grown far beyond a cup of coffee and a sympathetic ear to a full array of services, always focusing on the individual, their intrinsic worth and the need for compassion, productivity and, most of all, a home. The band accompanied this presentation with music of each of the five decades, as did the video messages from former CEOs, clients and volunteers.  From its inception, providing emergency services, to its current standing as the San Gabriel Valley’s largest social service agency, Union Station now leads the county in providing these much-needed services.

It was a true honor to be able to cheer on Union Station and be a part of this celebration of a non-profit group that longs to ‘put itself out of business’ by providing the means and way for each and every person to have a home.