Jones Calls for Sustainable Funding for PORT

Councilmember Justin Jones, joined by Vice Mayor Jess Rivas and Councilmember Tyron Hampton, called for long-term funding for the city’s Pasadena Outreach Response Team (PORT) program during Wednesday’s Public Safety Committee meeting.

The Pasadena Outreach Response Team is a partnership between the city’s Public Health and Fire Departments and Union Station Homeless Services. PORT teams work in the field to connect people experiencing homelessness with housing, medical care, mental health services and substance abuse treatment.

The call for PORT funding came during a presentation on the fire department’s budget, and aligns with the City Council’s prioritization of a year-round shelter as part of its plan to strengthen Pasadena’s homelessness response.

Jones questioned the program’s current funding structure and whether the city should shift to a more stable model. Per staff, the Fire Department funds PORT’s sworn position, while grant dollars routed through Public Health cover the unsworn outreach role.

Jones called the reliance on grants volatile, and asked why the Fire Department doesn’t fund the program outright.

“I think we need to start having a serious conversation about sustainable funding for PORT,” Jones told Pasadena Now. “This has become a core part of how Pasadena responds to homelessness and behavioral health issues, and I don’t think we should be relying on unstable grant funding for something this important.”

Finance Director Karin Schnaider told the committee staff is looking to Council for direction on the unfunded portion, and floated using General Fund dollars to cover all PORT operations going forward.