The summer has just begun, and it's already been a tough season for us. Ascencia is disappointed and saddened in response to the Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling in the Johnson v. Grants Pass case. We believe that criminalizing homelessness by overturning constitutional protections for people experiencing homelessness amounts to “cruel and unusual punishment” that will further traumatize unhoused people as government ordinances at a local level may start once again imposing civil and criminal penalties on them for camping on public land. These are resurrected, old policies that clearly have not worked in the past.

However, there is some encouraging news. The recent release of the 2024 Greater LA Homeless Count numbers (Unsheltered homelessness is down 5.1% in the County and 12.7% in the City) shows a reduction in street homelessness via what does work, and that includes interim housing and permanent housing. As a collective that includes government officials, philanthropic leaders, and involved concerned community members, we are doing the work to end homelessness, but we must continue to move forward with what is working and not return to failed policies of the past. What we do at Ascencia works and we know that criminalizing homelessness does not!

Finally, summer heat is in full effect, with temperatures reaching the mid-90s and above. Our street outreach teams are doing all they can to provide life-saving resources to those who are on the streets at this time. We hand out water, food, hygiene products, and cooling supplies as we attempt to enroll our unhoused into Ascencia's programs with the ultimate goal of getting them permanently housed. Our grateful thanks to our community of supporters that donate all these vital supplies! Please support our Street Outreach efforts and the rest of our successful programs that will keep people and their pets safe this summer by donating to our Summer Campaign here: Support Ascencia in Providing the Steps Towards Home.

Ascencia is solving homelessness—one life at a time. Thank you so much for supporting us. We simply can’t do this important work without you!

Gratefully,

Dr. Laura Duncan

Executive Director

Meet our 2024-2025 Board Officers and Committee Chairs!

Paulette Ramsay Wood

President

Paulette Ramsay Wood is a long-term supporter of Ascencia and had a successful professional career in both public and private sectors. While in the public sector, she was involved in Redevelopment for the City of Philadelphia as well as several California cities and later in her career, in the Legal Department at Schindler Elevator Corporation, where she negotiated multimillion dollar construction contracts for the Pacific West Coast Region. She is now retired. Paulette has served on numerous Boards including the Glendale Police Foundation, the Maui Police Foundation, and The Villas at Kehalani Homeowners Association. Paulette has been a Glendale Kiwanian since 1988 and is the longest active woman member. She attended University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School (MBA) and University of Colorado for Paralegal Studies. She has lived in Glendale with her husband since 1988, except for a four year period where they lived in Maui.

David Bolstad

Vice President, Governance Committee Chair

David Bolstad is a partner at Safarian Choi & Bolstad LLP in Los Angeles, California. Over his 21 years of practice, David also has significant experience in ADA litigation, consumer class action defense, labor and employment litigation and insurance coverage claims. He received his J.D., Order of the Coif, from Loyola Law School. David received his MBA from Loyola Marymount University and his undergraduate degree in finance from California State University, Long Beach. He served on Ascencia’s board from 2017-23 and was the Governance Committee Chair from 2023-23. He also served on the Strategic Plan Monitoring committee from 2019 – 2023.

Gregory Stanovic

Secretary

Gregory “Greg” Stanovic moved to LA from the Midwest 10 years ago. He has worked for Sephora as an esthetician since his relocation to L.A. He was initially living at a friend's place in WeHo, but moved several times trying to continue to better his living situation. Due to a situation with theft and violence, he was resigned to live in his car. He connected with Ascencia and moved to their Emergency Housing which provided him with a safe place and meals while he regrouped. Ascencia allowed him to continue working with a sense of dignity, while also helping him with his emotional well-being. Eventually, Greg was able to secure affordable housing and has been in a stable living situation for years now. He joined Ascencia's board eager to give back to the community he was once a part of.

Tes Baradas

Treasurer/Finance Committee Chair

Tes Baradas is a tax director at Lucas Horsfall in Pasadena. Tes has been working in public accounting for about 15 years. She received her bachelors focused in accounting from St. Scholastica's College in the Philippines, then came to the U.S. shortly after and then earned her California CPA license. She has since received her M.S. in Taxation from Golden Gate University, San Francisco. Tes and her family have been living in Glendale for almost 15 years. Tes and her husband enjoy spending time with their 10-year old daughter, traveling, and doing outdoor activities. She recently joined the Glendale Kiwanis Club where she met Laura Duncan, Ascencia’s Executive Director.

Deacon Ron Baker

Development Committee Chair

Deacon Ron Baker was born in Glendale and has lived here his whole life. He met his wife while attending Bellarmine Jefferson High School in Burbank, and they have two sons – an ordained Catholic priest, and a Sushi Chef living in northern California. Mr. Baker worked for AT&T for 36 years and retired in 2016 to work as Director of Parish and Ministry with the Catholic Church. After 5 years of formation, he was ordained a Deacon in the Catholic Church on June 9, 2012, and currently serves as the Chair of the Deacon Council for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Mr. Baker has been involved with Ascencia through Kiwanis and Holy Family Parish in Glendale, and has been an active donor and volunteer for several years.

Saad Panja

Audit Committee Chair

Saad Panja is a Director/CPA at Hutchinson & Bloodgood LLP. Saad began his public accounting career at a Big Four CPA firm and has extensive experience in providing accounting and audit services to small to medium sized businesses, including not-for-profit organizations. He has been on the finance committee for a charter school in the past. He has his Master of Accountancy degree from Kaplan University and is also a member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).

Arbella Azizian

Nominations Committee Chair

Arbella Azizian, an attorney with her own firm in Glendale, has a diverse background. Having graduated from CSULB with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, Arbella worked for several years as a teacher before deciding to return to school to follow her first passion, law. Arbella earned her Juris Doctor degree from St. Thomas University School of Law in Miami where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. Arbella actively gives back to her community. Currently she is on the board for Ascencia, and on the board for the Kiwanis of the Verdugos. She is also a member and past President of the Glendale Bar Association.

Ascencia now has a total of 24 members on our Board of Directors! Comprising community leaders and professionals from Glendale, Burbank, West Hollywood, and Los Angeles, our board is dedicated to assisting community members facing homelessness. Their collaborative approach and diverse backgrounds in race, gender, location, age, and profession enable us to provide improved services to our clients. Visit our website to see the full list of members.

Dr. Vartan Tachdjian - Return to Homelessness

When a physician driven by compassion takes to the streets of downtown Los Angeles to anonymously live among the homeless community he has been treating for years, he unexpectedly learns lessons beyond his imagination while making relationships that shape him both as a doctor and a human being.

“At fifty-eight, I had decided to take to the streets or, rather, take on the streets,” writes Dr. Tachdjian. “I was leaving behind all the comforts I had struggled to acquire as a doctor in my life in California."

Return to Homelessness is a powerful account by Vartan Tachdjian MD, a ninety-year-old physician who shares his journey from growing up homeless to a lifelong commitment of helping those experiencing homelessness. Tachdjian recounts the story of how he went from fighting for an education to becoming a physician and his battle to get housing for himself, his family, and the homeless individuals he treated.

Dr. Tachdjian has graciously offered to donate a portion of the book sales to Ascencia! You can find the book at Barnes & Noble, on Amazon, and in bookstores all over.

Not only is Dr. Tachdjian supporting Ascencia via his book, but he will also be speaking at our upcoming Volunteer Appreciation Event.

More Guest Chefs Needed at Ascencia

Ascencia is seeking more Guest Chef volunteers to assist in reducing food costs by purchasing, cooking, and serving meals to our emergency shelter residents!

Last year, with the help of our volunteers, we were able to save over $245,000 on food costs! These savings allow us to allocate more funds towards ending homelessness in the communities we serve. However, currently only 56% of the meals we serve are covered by volunteers, and we really need to increase this number to meet the demand.

Being a Guest Chef is easier than it looks! Guest Chefs plan, purchase, and cook enough meals for 40 residents, and we have flexible options that work with your schedule. If you can’t cook a meal, many of our supporters simply order it and arrange for it to be dropped off.

Take a moment to review our NEW Guest Chef Cheat Sheet and sign up for an available meal slot via the button below.

Learn More and Sign Up!

Please email volunteer@ascenciaca.org for any questions about volunteering with Ascencia. Thank you!

Summer Campaign Update

Thank you so much to everyone who has donated so far this summer! We have successfully reached 45% of our overall goal. We need to raise $75,000 so that we can save many more lives through our solution-driven programs and services. We need the resources to reach more people... This is why we need your help.

In case you haven't heard, we received a match gift of $25,000 from a very generous donor, which means your next donation will be matched $1 to $1!! Give now to double your impact.

Your gift today will help us provide more steps toward permanent housing through the following programs…