Starting next week, a Los Angeles homeless shelter named after iconic Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek will open the doors to its 107-bed facility. The facility will also feature a library housing the late host‘s personal books and furniture, as well as providing services and outreach as part of a path to permanent housing. The Trebek Center held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, which was attended by Trebek’s wife.
“We all know that homelessness is complicated,” said Jean Trebek, widow of Alex Trebek, who died in 2020 from pancreatic cancer. “There is no single pathway to the streets,” she said. “There’s no single intervention that ends homelessness. But there is a single remedy and it’s called love. Supporting another is loving another and the transformational power of support will surely be known at this site.”
Also in attendance was Los Angeles City Councilmember John Lee, who thanked local residents for making the “difficult decision” to allow The Trebek Center to take over the site of a popular skating rink. Lee told the crowd that the shelter will take “the necessary footsteps to combat what is happening on our city streets.”
Donating his name and library to a homeless shelter is another reason why it’s been so tough for the show to replace him. The man left massive shoes to fill in a lot of ways, making it a monumental task to find someone who brings the same combination of warmth, charm, and gravitas to the Jeopardy! podium. (Outside of a tiny disaster, the show has relied on a series of rotating guest hosts while prominently leaning on Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik, both of whom remain top contenders to get the gig at some point.) A final decision still hasn’t been made because, again, Trebek was just that good. You really can’t rush into this one.
When you’re replacing one of the greats, you gotta take your time.
(Via Los Angeles Daily News)