Ex-Congresswoman Katie Hill has found a ‘second chance’: leading homeless-aid agency

Katie Hill is no stranger to the spotlight — or to starting over.

A little over five years after she stepped down from Congress amidst a series of scandals, Hill is beginning a new chapter as the CEO of Union Station Homeless Services, Pasadena’s flagship and decades-old homeless service provider.

Hill officially took the helm this week, stepping into a leadership role at an organization seeking to expand its regional impact while addressing the growing housing instability crisis in a community desperate for solutions.

For Hill, the position represents both a pivot in her career and an opportunity to apply her public policy experience to one of California’s most pressing issues – homelessness, which just so happens to be a cause she is deeply passionate about, she said.

“I have really gotten a broad set of experiences in terms of this work and I’m excited to continue it, and show that Union Station can really lead the way in terms of how we can address homelessness effectively, “ Hill said Thursday, Dec. 5.

Among her first official events was Thursday’s Pasadena Chamber of Commerce Breakfast, where Hill was busy interacting with her Union Station team, and greeting community leaders gathered to celebrate the upcoming Tournament of Roses.

Union Station announced Hill’s appointment a month ago, citing her extensive experience in homelessness services.

With 15 years of leadership roles in this area, Hill has worked with prominent organizations such as People Assisting The Homeless, or PATH, and Homeless Outreach Program Integrated Care System, or HOPICS, two of the largest and most impactful agencies tackling homelessness in the Los Angeles County, the nonprofit’s leaders said.

“We’re really excited about it. Katie brings a lot of experience in our industry,” Union Station’s VP of Development Mario Galeano said Thursday. “She already has a lot of connections and networks with our funders, with a lot of our donors, with a lot of our partner agencies. She understands the homeless services field in Los Angeles and how it kind of functions with coordinated entry and with LAHSA.”

Hill succeeds Howard Kahn, a veteran nonprofit healthcare executive, who served as the organization’s interim CEO since April, and Anne Miskey, who led the 300-staffer strong nonprofit for six years as its CEO before resigning in March to focus on her health and her family.

Hill steps into the position at a critical juncture. Homelessness continues to surge in L.A. County, with more than 75,000 individuals unhoused, according to Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA)’s 2024 count.

To meet the growing need, Union Station is expanding its reach, now operating 16 sites across the San Gabriel Valley. Meanwhile, Pasadena is grappling with a rise in unsheltered seniors, adding to the urgency of the crisis.

For Hill, creating more housing opportunities is key to breaking the cycle of homelessness, in addition to providing wrap-around services.

“It all comes down to housing,” she said. “If we don’t have adequate housing that people can afford, then there’s always going to be someone who’s pushed out, whether they lose their job, or they’re on a fixed income and the rents go up…people who are struggling in one way or another are going to be pushed out, and they’re going to end up on the streets.”

Beyond housing shortage, other obstacles are on the horizon as well.

“There is a very real possibility that federal housing subsidies and HUD grants are cut, especially with this Congress and with their focus on wanting to reduce government spending,” Hill said. “So what we need to do locally is ensure that there’s a backstop in place, and that if we do lose those resources, that we are able to swiftly dedicate the local resources to make up for that.”

She highlighted the importance of creating systemic, long-term solutions, such as building new housing stock and ensuring resources are effectively deployed to meet the community’s needs.

“It’s extremely acute here in both Pasadena and LA County as a whole,” she said. “We have half a million shortage of affordable homes, according to the county’s own analysis, so we have a long way to go.”

While initiatives like Measure A– a recently approved one-half percent (0.50%) sales tax to fund homeless services--could fund shelters and other programs to support the unhoused residents in L.A. County, Hill cautioned against relying only on quick fixes.

“It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and people need to have patience, understand that homelessness is at the level it is because of decades of failing to address it properly, and now we can’t expect overnight solutions” she said, “We have to address it systemically and from the perspective that we need to create housing, and otherwise everything is a Band-Aid.”

Once seen as a rising star in politics, the 37-year-old resigned from Congress in 2019 after nude pictures of her were published online and she was accused of having a concurrent relationship with her husband and a campaign staffer. She was also accused of having an affair with a member of her congressional staff.

Hill blamed her ex-husband for sharing the photos as an act of“revenge porn” and accused political operatives on the right of orchestrating a“smear campaign”.

Before her sudden departure from politics, Hill had served less than a year as the U.S. Representative for California’s 25th Congressional District, a historically Republican stronghold in Northern L.A. County that she flipped to Democratic control in 2018.

The district included Santa Clarita Valley, and portions of the northern San Fernando Valley, Antelope Valley and eastern Ventura County. It was redistricted into what is now the 27th Congressional seat.

“Those are all things in the past, and she was a victim of an abusive relationship, that a lot of the controversy comes just from things that were done to her,” Galeano said. “And so we are an organization that obviously believes in second chances for people, and this is definitely something where we are looking at Katie for her skills, her leadership, her connections, her networking and everything she’s bringing to the table.”

Not only does Union Station believe in “second chance,” another agency does the same, Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis on Nov. 26 appointed Katie Hill to LAHSA. 

Hill said she will recuse herself from decisions involving Union Station funding, but looks forward to representing the perspective of service providers and strengthening community partnerships.

“I think that Union Station has the opportunity to be seen as a true leader in the field of homeless services, and the community support here in Pasadena is really incredible,” Hill said. “As we try to address homelessness across the board with new county funding and everything like that, that community engagement is going to be absolutely critical.”