Among the thousands of homes the Eaton fire destroyed in Altadena was the Fair Oaks sober living house, operated by Jubilee Homes, a ministry of The Church of Our Saviour in San Gabriel. It housed ten men in recovery. Before they even know where they’d spend the next night, some turned up at the Pasadena Convention Center, volunteering to help others who’d been evacuated.
These and another heroic stories abounded Saturday night at “An Evening of Hope,” the third annual Jubilee Homes fundraiser at COS. Cohosts were The Rev. Tim Hartley, the Jubilee Homes executive director, in recovery himself since 1996, and actor Amy Landecker (“Transparent,” “A Serious Man”). Notwithstanding the tragedy of the loss of the Fair Oaks house, the spirit of Eastertide resurrection was in the air. “Not only do I believe in life after death,” Tim said, in reference to his own recovery, “I’ve experienced it in a form.” With the help of insurance, contributions such as Saturday night’s, and the work of a volunteer architect in Texas, Jubilee plans to rebuild the Fair Oaks site.
I was along to offer a word of greeting on behalf of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. Amy was joined at our table by her actor spouse, Bradley Whitford, star of “The West Wing” and “The Handmaid’s Tale,” which insured that the Rev. Canon Melissa McCarthy, Andrea Fleetham, and I would enjoy some high-octane political conversation.
As always, personal testimony was the heart of the evening. For ten years, Pablo said, he was addicted and homeless, a stranger to his family. Now he’s three years sober, buoyed by familial love, and preparing to graduate from college. Kayla is two years sober and about to get her dog grooming certificate. Cory grew up in a family rife with substance abuse and has found healing and wholeness in the brotherly love of Jubilee Homes.
The organization was founded 22 years ago by the Rev. Canon Bill Doulos, who also launched Pasadena’s famed Union Station Homeless Services. Though he’s ceded the top Jubilee job to Tim, he remains a resident manager at one of the homes. His 2016 memoir, “A Journey of Compassion: Letters from a Street Minister,” has inspired thousands of readers, most recently in the oddest, most miraculous way. Some copies had been stored at the Fair Oaks home. The same winds that bore deadly embers from house to house that long Tuesday night and Wednesday morning also spread Bill’s good news far and wide. People all over the San Gabriel Valley reported being moved in their darkest hours by Bill’s words of hope and recovery on singed, wind-borne pages.
