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Fuller's Joe Colletti Honored by Pasadena Ecumenical Council: Pasadena area congregations name Colletti as "Person of the Year"
Transforming a Community, One Tamale at a Time (A Fuller Seminary Focus article)
Archimedes Quote
Assessments for Local Government and Other Local Agencies
10-Year Strategies to End Homelessness
Consolidated Planning
Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice
Homeless Counts and Surveys
Community and economic development programs that were founded or co-founded
Community coalitions founded or co-founded
Grants include awards from the following sources and/or programs
Courses taught at Fuller Theological Seminary include:
Introduction to Urban Studies
Homelessness, Congregations, and Community
Integration of Spirituality and Urban Ministry
Church-Based Urban Research
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Joe Colletti, PhD is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Urban Initiatives and co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Episcopal Housing Alliance and Economic Development. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Urban Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA and the Director of the seminary's Office for Urban Initiatives. Much of his teaching and community and economic development experience focus on the issues of affordable housing, economic development, fair housing, health and mental heath care, homelessness, human trafficking, and substance abuse. He has written numerous reports for local government and other local agencies concerning the above issues and has also written several grants for these public and private agencies that have totaled more than 250 million dollars. He is also the founder of Mama’s Hot Tamales which is a well-known successful small business kitchen incubator and job training café and Chefs Center of California which has recently opened. Both are operated by Episcopal Economic Development. In addition, he is the founder or co-founder of several community and economic development programs and community coalitions.
He has developed and implemented several residential and non-residential social service programs that include housing for persons with mental illness, substance abusers seeking treatment, and victims of domestic violence. Non-residential social service programs include multi-service centers for homeless persons and health clinics for very low, low, and moderate income persons.
He has provided leadership for a community and economic revitalization effort to change the MacArthur Park neighborhood in Central Los Angeles from a crime-filled point of destination to a thriving social and cultural point of destination. He continues to chair the “Rediscover MacArthur Park Alliance. For more information click here.
He is also a member of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and has written several reports concerning social issues for the Diocese. He is an Associate of the Mount Calvary Benedictine Retreat House and Monastery. Much of his teaching and personal experiences also focus on the integration of Christian monastic practices and urban social service. He is a passionate follower of the teachings of St. John of the Cross and has a web site devoted to St. John’s experiences of the “Dark Night of the Soul” (see www.dark-night-of-the-soul.com). He has also written papers and teaches courses, seminars and workshops about the integration of the “Dark Night of the Soul”, other monastic practices, and urban social service. He is also the founder of the Institute for the Urban Monk which helps individuals integrate monastic spiritual practices with the daily experiences of urban life and writes the liturgy for each Monastic Mass that the Institute sponsors throughout the year.
He and his spouse, Sofia Herrera, PhD, were married in 2000 in Corleone, Sicily among family and friends. His grandfather immigrated from Corleone and grandmother from Sambuca di Sicilia to Chicago at the turn of the twentieth century (see “The COLLETTIs from Corleone: 100 Years in America”). His father (Rosario Colletti) and mother (Genevra Bizzoni) were born and married in Chicago. Both parents recently passed away. His sister Linda and brother Kenneth live in the Chicago area.
He and his spouse, Sofia (who was born in El Salvador) met in Pasadena and continue to live in the city. They often have families and friends to their home for sacred meals. Such meals are framed by the Christian Divine Offices of Prayer of Vespers and Compline that incorporate biblical prayers, scripture readings, lectio divina, examination of conscious, vigils, and other spiritual practices.
ASSESSMENTS FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND OTHER LOCAL AGENCIES
Recent reports that were written or co-written by Joe Colletti, PhD include
10-Year Strategies to End Homelessness
10-Year Strategies to End Homelessness, which are promoted by the U. S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, are community-based reports that are prepared for local governments that focus on implementing best practices to end homelessness. Such reports were written for the
In addition, he has completed a “Summary of Local 10-Year Strategies to End Homelessness throughout the United States (2005).”
Consolidated Planning
Consolidated Plans are required by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from cities who receive HUD funding. These plans establish each jurisdiction’s affordable housing, homeless services, and economic development goals for very low-, low-, and moderate-income households in five (5) year increments. Such plans were written for th
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City of El Monte, CA
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City of Glendora, CA
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City of Pasadena, CA
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City of Riverside, CA
Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice
Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice are also required by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from cities who receive HUD funding. These plans establish goals to remove barriers to fair housing choice that may discriminate against protected classes of persons that are indentified in local, state, and national legislation including civil rights and land use and zoning. Such plans were written for the
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City of Glendale, CA
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City of El Monte, CA
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City of Inglewood, CA
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City of Long Beach, CA
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City of Paramount, CA
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City of Pasadena, CA
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City of Pomona, CA
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City of Pico Rivera, CA
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City of West Covina, CA
Homeless Counts and Surveys
Homeless Counts are also required by HUD from cities who receive Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance funding. Homeless counts provide a point-in-time count of the number of persons who are homeless on a given day within a specific jurisdiction. HUD also requires information concerning certain sub-populations of homeless persons which is the primary purpose of homeless surveys. Such counts, surveys, and related reports have been completed for
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City of Glendale, CA
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City of El Monte, CA
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City of Long Beach, CA
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City of Oxnard, CA
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City of Pasadena, CA
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City of Pomona, CA
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City of Riverside, CA
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City of Santa Clarita, CA
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City of West Covina, CA
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East San Gabriel Valley, CA
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San Gabriel Valley, CA
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County of Los Angeles, CA
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County of Riverside, CA
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County of Ventura, CA
Community and economic development programs that were founded or co-founded include:
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Mama’s Hot Tamales Café, Los Angeles, (2001)
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MacArthur Park Sidewalk Vending Program, Los Angeles, (1999);
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Rediscover MacArthur Park , Los Angeles, (2002);
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V.E.N.D. (Vital Economic and Neighborhood Development), Los Angeles, (2000);
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City of Pasadena Winter Shelter Program (1987);
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City of Glendale Winter Shelter Program (1994);
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East San Gabriel Valley Winter Shelter Program (1992);
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Project ACHIEVE of Glendale (1996);
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Project ACHIEVE of El Monte (1998);
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Project ACHIEVE of Pomona (2003);
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Project ACHIEVE of Riverside (2002);
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Pathways Domestic Violence Transitional Housing Program, El Monte, (2001);
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Casa Maria Transitional Housing Program, Pasadena, (1991);
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Euclid Villa Transitional Housing Program for Families, Pasadena (1994);
Community coalitions founded or co-founded include:
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Pasadena Housing and Homeless Network (1991);
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East San Gabriel Valley Consortium on Homelessness (1996);
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Rediscover MacArthur Park Alliance (2001);
Grants include awards from the following sources and/or programs:
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U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance (several jurisdictions);
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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services;
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Community Development Block Grant Program (several jurisdictions);
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Community Service Block Grant Program (several jurisdictions);
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California Department of Housing and Community Development;
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Private Foundations.
COURSES TAUGHT AT FULLER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY INCLUDE:
• Introduction to Urban Studies
The purpose of the class is to challenge each student's perspective of the city. Students are exposed to a wide variety of topics, theories, and methods that relate to the field of urban studies. Students interact with professionals who are involved in urban life such as elected officials, law enforcement administrators, social service agency representatives, etc. Such persons are guest lecturers and panelists who along with the instructor integrate social responsibility and religion from various points of view. Perspectives include local politics, business and economics, health and human services, law enforcement, community relations, demographics, and arts and leisure.
• Homelessness, Congregations, and Community Partnerships
During the past 20 years in the United States, homelessness has increased instead of decreased in spite of the many efforts made by public and private agencies including local government and congregations. In addition, hundreds of thousands of households are at-risk of becoming homeless. The class closely examines past strategies and suggests new and revised strategies that provide opportunities for communities and faithful leaders to reverse the surge of homelessness.
• Integration of Spirituality and Urban Ministry
The course teaches students to integrate faith, spiritual traditions, spiritual practices, ecclesiology, and urban ministry. Such integration has helped ordinary people live extraordinary lives. Students apply and cultivate their faith, learn and practice spiritual virtues such as reflection, meditation, contemplation, compassion, silence, and be involved in urban ministry which helps them understand more broadly and profoundly their call to a deeper spiritual life that includes being agents of change within the communities and congregations in which they live, work, worship, and serve.
• Church-Based Urban Research
Students learn that a congregation needs to understand its social and cultural context and its own character and identity in relationship to its surrounding community. Surrounding communities are described in terms of demographics, organizations, present-day activities, historical events, networks, economics, political structures, and how churches embody certain characteristics in order to engage their community. Research tools and resources are explored and implemented by students.
For more information, please contact Joe Colletti, at 626.794.3400 or joecolletti@earthlink.net
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