Affordable housing at Rose City Apartments in E. Pasadena

Rose Town Apartments, 170 N. Halstead St., Pasadena (Near the Sierra Madre Villa A Line Station)

There are 49 apartments that will be available for low-income residents this summer, and nine are set aside for those displaced from Pasadena in the last decade:

·        Studios start at $628 per month (income limit: $66,540)

·        One-bedroom units start at $780 per month (income limit: $74,880)

·        Two-bedroom units start at $936 per month (income limit: $89,880)

·        Three-bedroom units start at $1,081 per month (income limit: $103, 200)

Anyone who is interested should put their name on the interest list here: https://www.crpaffordable.com/rosetowninterest

(Acceptable proof of former residency includes: DMV records, address history from a third-party credit report, federal tax returns, or fully executed lease agreements.)

Right to Return

In urban planning, the "right to return" refers to policies that prioritize displaced residents, particularly those from communities of color, for affordable housing in areas undergoing redevelopment or gentrification. These policies aim to redress historical injustices and ensure community stability.

MHCH is partnering with the Community Clergy Coalition to organize Right to Return initiatives for Pasadena and Altadena. Our current initiative concerns Pasadena’s Right to Return ordinance.

Seeking Displaced Individuals

Thanks in part to the advocacy of MHCH, Pasadena City Council passed an ordinance in August 2019 prioritizing displaced individuals for 20% of new affordable housing, which went into effect in September 2019. Since its implementation, it has only been utilized twice. Therefore, we are seeking individuals who have been displaced and wish to return. The Rose Town Apartments, expected to be completed in August, will have 9 units prioritized for displaced individuals. We are actively searching for qualifying individuals who can access these units.

Strengthening Pasadena’s Ordinance

Pasadena's ordinance currently prioritizes units only for individuals displaced within the last ten years and limits the number of prioritized units to 50. Once fifty households have taken advantage of this ordinance, it will no longer be in force.

We will advocate for a more comprehensive ordinance. Displacement of low-income people of color has been occurring for decades, so we propose an ordinance that reflects this history. Additionally, we recognize that thousands of individuals have been displaced, thus we seek to remove the limitation on the number of prioritized units.

What About Altadena?

Furthermore, we will engage with the residents of Altadena to determine if there is a desire within that community to advocate for a similar ordinance.