Eight Students Complete Union Station’s Third Annual Homelessness Learning Intensive

Eight high school juniors and seniors completed a weeklong immersion in homelessness policy, history and services Friday, concluding the third annual H.O.U.S.E. Learning Intensive at Union Station Homeless Services.

The program — Homeless Outreach Utilizing Students and Education — is run by the Pasadena-based nonprofit, which describes it as an intensive one-week summer advocacy and educational program for high school juniors and seniors. Students learn from practitioners in the field, including people with lived experience of homelessness, according to the organization’s program materials.

“Rather than relying on headlines or stereotypes, students engaged directly with the history, policy, lived experience, and evidence-based solutions surrounding homelessness,” Shawn Morrissey, vice president of advocacy and community engagement at Union Station, said in a statement.

Coursework covered the history of modern homelessness, Housing First, harm reduction, trauma-informed care, advocacy and ethical storytelling, along with site visits, according to the statement. Students also shared a lunch and conversation with members of the organization’s Lived Experience Advisory Panel at Marv’s Place, a permanent supportive housing site for families.

The week closed Friday with a commencement at which students delivered presentations on what they had studied.

“Their presentations reflected thoughtful, nuanced perspectives on the causes, conditions, and solutions to homelessness, along with an eye-opening and deep appreciation for the humanity behind the issue,” Morrissey said.

Each student received a Union Station certificate of completion and a $250 educational stipend, along with recognition from the Pasadena City Council and official commendations from the office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who supports the program, according to Union Station.

Union Station Homeless Services is headquartered at 825 E. Orange Grove Blvd. in Pasadena and operates outreach, interim housing, permanent housing and community integration programs across the San Gabriel Valley, with facilities in Pasadena and Altadena. The 2025 Los Angeles County homeless count recorded 72,308 people experiencing homelessness countywide.

“We are incredibly proud of this remarkable group of young leaders and excited to see how they carry these lessons into their schools, communities, and future careers,” Morrissey said.