REST IN POWER
Dorothy Edwards, advocate for the unhoused, celebrated for ‘just treating people like humans’
A memorial service for Dorothy Edwards, who was beloved and admired for her inspiring journey from homelessness to becoming a national advocate for homeless housing, was held at All Saints Church in Pasadena on Saturday, November 18, 2023. Edwards died Oct. 27 at the age of 66. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
By RYAN CARTER | rcarter@scng.com | Daily News
PUBLISHED: November 18, 2023
By RYAN CARTER | rcarter@scng.com | Daily News
PUBLISHED: November 18, 2023
The least interesting thing about Dorothy Edwards was her bout with homelessness.
Better to talk about her will and fortitude, her take-no-guff spirit, her enormous presence, and how she took care of herself and others. Best to remember her commitment to sharing her life’s most traumatic experiences across the country, talking to politicians and policymakers and to homeless people, if only to convince them to get off the streets.
Her friend Shawn Morrissey said Edwards, the once-homeless woman who kicked a 40-year drug addiction to become a lauded housing advocate, was tireless in treating homeless people with love and grace.
A memorial service for Dorothy Edwards, who was beloved and admired for her inspiring journey from homelessness to becoming a national advocate for homeless housing, was held at All Saints Church in Pasadena on Saturday, November 18, 2023. Edwards died Oct. 27 at the age of 66. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Edwards, who was diagnosed with cancer three months ago, died on Oct. 27. She was 66. More than 100 people attended a memorial for her at All Saints Church in Pasadena on Saturday, Nov. 18.
“She was fully empowered even while she was living on an embankment (by the 210),” said Morrissey, who was Edwards’ case worker. “She went from being my client to my colleague, helping others see that people experiencing homelessness are exactly the same as people living in homes. When we see ourselves as worthy, we move forward.”
Edwards, born in Monrovia and raised in Hacienda Heights, spent years living on the streets until 2011, when Morrissey convinced her to accept help from the nonprofit Housing Works. Supported with services from the homeless outreach center and other agencies, Edwards got clean and sober. She began working as an advocate for affordable and permanent supportive housing.
“Dorothy is one of my greatest teachers,” said Morrissey, now senior director of advocacy and community engagement at Union Station Homeless Services. He said he admired her “commitment to sharing that part of her life so that we may know more and we may be better.”
In the 12 years since moving into her cottage apartment in Pasadena, Edwards worked as an enrichment services coordinator for Housing Works, helping residents of Teague Terrace apartments in Eagle Rock with everything from grocery shopping to learning to read. She served on the board of the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), beating the drum for not just housing but also services to help residents stay housed.
Bill Pitkin, director of domestic programs at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, worked with Edwards on the CSH board. He wrote how proud he was that Edwards, a former homeless woman with addiction issues, was helping oversee the disbursement of $183 million in loans to build supportive housing units across the country, helping more than 58,000 people.
Edwards, who was diagnosed with cancer three months ago, died on Oct. 27. She was 66. More than 100 people attended a memorial for her at All Saints Church in Pasadena on Saturday, Nov. 18.
“She was fully empowered even while she was living on an embankment (by the 210),” said Morrissey, who was Edwards’ case worker. “She went from being my client to my colleague, helping others see that people experiencing homelessness are exactly the same as people living in homes. When we see ourselves as worthy, we move forward.”
Edwards, born in Monrovia and raised in Hacienda Heights, spent years living on the streets until 2011, when Morrissey convinced her to accept help from the nonprofit Housing Works. Supported with services from the homeless outreach center and other agencies, Edwards got clean and sober. She began working as an advocate for affordable and permanent supportive housing.
“Dorothy is one of my greatest teachers,” said Morrissey, now senior director of advocacy and community engagement at Union Station Homeless Services. He said he admired her “commitment to sharing that part of her life so that we may know more and we may be better.”
In the 12 years since moving into her cottage apartment in Pasadena, Edwards worked as an enrichment services coordinator for Housing Works, helping residents of Teague Terrace apartments in Eagle Rock with everything from grocery shopping to learning to read. She served on the board of the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), beating the drum for not just housing but also services to help residents stay housed.
Bill Pitkin, director of domestic programs at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, worked with Edwards on the CSH board. He wrote how proud he was that Edwards, a former homeless woman with addiction issues, was helping oversee the disbursement of $183 million in loans to build supportive housing units across the country, helping more than 58,000 people.
Shawn Morrissey, of Union Station Homeless Services, gives the eulogy for Dorothy Edwards, who was beloved and admired for her inspiring journey from homelessness to becoming a national advocate for homeless housing, at All Saints Church in Pasadena on Saturday, November 18, 2023. Edwards died Oct. 27 at the age of 66.
(Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Edwards also belonged to LEAP, Union Station Homeless Services’ Lived Expertise Advisory Panel. Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena, recognized her work with a “Woman of the Year” award in 2016.
Attending Edwards’ celebration of life were representatives from the various groups she forged connections with, including Housing Works, the city of Pasadena Housing Department, Union Station Homeless Services, Friends In Deed, the Guibord Center and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.
Celina Álvarez, executive director at Housing Works, said she and Edwards’ Housing Works family are grappling with grief and anger that their friend, a recipient of Medi-Cal health insurance, faced systemic injustices and barriers within the health care industry.
“It’s during times like this that I find it hard to not feel angry and resentful of the ‘system’ as it is relentless in its demands for outcomes and data and the expectation that we, the service providers on the ground every day, do more for less,” Álvarez said. “I long to return to a time where we could truly do the people work and not fret about the dreadful paperwork.”
Álvarez said there is much to learn about the grace and kindness with which Edwards lived.
“Dorothy’s story is an opportunity for us to bring a much-needed conversation back to the table, a dialogue that needs to be had about the value of authentic and intentional human relationships,” she said.
Mike Kinman, rector at All Saints Church, said Edwards truly saw anyone she met.
“For all the lived expertise Dorothy had in getting people into housing, what I heard her say over and over again was ‘Just treat people like humans,’” he said.
It is a sentiment Edwards spoke about in an interview with photojournalist Sarah Reingewirtz, who produced a photo essay and short film on Edwards’ redemptive
Edwards also belonged to LEAP, Union Station Homeless Services’ Lived Expertise Advisory Panel. Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena, recognized her work with a “Woman of the Year” award in 2016.
Attending Edwards’ celebration of life were representatives from the various groups she forged connections with, including Housing Works, the city of Pasadena Housing Department, Union Station Homeless Services, Friends In Deed, the Guibord Center and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.
Celina Álvarez, executive director at Housing Works, said she and Edwards’ Housing Works family are grappling with grief and anger that their friend, a recipient of Medi-Cal health insurance, faced systemic injustices and barriers within the health care industry.
“It’s during times like this that I find it hard to not feel angry and resentful of the ‘system’ as it is relentless in its demands for outcomes and data and the expectation that we, the service providers on the ground every day, do more for less,” Álvarez said. “I long to return to a time where we could truly do the people work and not fret about the dreadful paperwork.”
Álvarez said there is much to learn about the grace and kindness with which Edwards lived.
“Dorothy’s story is an opportunity for us to bring a much-needed conversation back to the table, a dialogue that needs to be had about the value of authentic and intentional human relationships,” she said.
Mike Kinman, rector at All Saints Church, said Edwards truly saw anyone she met.
“For all the lived expertise Dorothy had in getting people into housing, what I heard her say over and over again was ‘Just treat people like humans,’” he said.
It is a sentiment Edwards spoke about in an interview with photojournalist Sarah Reingewirtz, who produced a photo essay and short film on Edwards’ redemptive
journey.
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Reflecting on her second chance at life in 2011, Edwards said she cherishes a sense of freedom from the loneliness, hunger and hopelessness of her past.
“I feel like I can love somebody and deserve to be loved back, and that’s a real cool thing, to have that feeling,” Edwards said.
Edwards is survived by her partner Victor Gravatt, their dog Ziggy, five sisters, two brothers, 15 nephews and 23 nieces.
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