homelessness

Every night, more than 66,000 Angelenos experience homelessness countywide. 70% of these people suffer from mental health and/or substance abuse issues, and more than 1300 die every year.

Homelessness is one of the most visibly dire challenges Los Angeles faces. At the same time, there are numerous resources dedicated towards housing the unhoused in more affordable and humane ways. Part of the problem may be a disconnect between those resources and opportunities that serve this civic need. Civicas is hopeful that informing and connecting more civic networks might help bridge this gap and advance the City and County of Los Angeles’ ongoing work to eliminate chronic homelessness in our region.

UPDATE SUMMER 2023: California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness

Now is the time for aligned actions and coordinated accountability.

Please help us grow a registry of resources: the lists below include homelessness-related civic resources (offers) and opportunities (asks).

Please share with your networks and email civicas4la@gmail.com with suggestions, resources and/or opportunities you’d like to see included!

REGISTRY OF HOMELESSNESS RELATED CIVIC RESOURCES:

BUSINESSES

Local businesses and global corporations with resources addressing homelessness:

FlyawayHomes

Was founded to help end homelessness sustainably, by building quality permanent supportive housing for ⅓ the cost and in ⅓ the time of traditional methods. FlyawayHomes builds by-right, using modular techniques to develop shared housing units, and use social impact equity or other private funding methods to do it.

HomeAid Los Angeles Corporate and Foundation Partners

These businesses provide financial support to help HomeAid add and preserve more shelter beds to Los Angeles’ service provider network. For more information on partnering with HomeAid Los Angeles, please contact Kevin Mitchell at KMitchell@homeaid.org.

Awardee of the Housing Innovation Challenge.

LifeArk, SPC.

LifeArk proposes a reimagining of the process of building and delivering housing. Their solution is a revolutionary kit-of-parts building system that is manufactured using proprietary composite polymer molding technology. Precise and integrated parts assemble together to form an infinite array of configurations on lots of any size and shape. They will build a community of dignified homes attuned to the needs of individuals experiencing homelessness at a dramatically lower cost and fraction of the time required by conventional construction methods.

Awardee of the Housing Innovation Challenge.

link housing association

Linc Housing's mission is to build communities and strengthen neighborhoods for people underserved by the marketplace.

Article: $36m supportive housing complex unwrapped in Watts

Renova Energy

A solar energy distributor that has handed out solar cell phone chargers to homeless individuals living in Palm Springs. The company has since participated in four other outreach events with the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission to continue distributing chargers throughout the valley.

While Riverside County and local organizations have increased their efforts to house people, one challenge caseworkers have at times is a lack of communication with clients due to uncharged cellphones. When clients miss too many calls, they can be dropped from the housing list. Renova Energy’s philosophy is that companies should give back to the community they do business in, using their specialized skills to meet a community need, CEO Vincent Battaglia said.

Article: How Southern California businesses are helping to address homelessness in creative, innovative ways

Restore Neighborhoods Los Angeles (RNLA)

RNLA’s mission is to invest in local neighborhoods, improve the built environment, and advance environmental sustainability. Its South LA Bungalow Court uses a scalable approach to homeless housing that is inexpensive to build, requires no discretionary approvals, and can be sited on small infill sites throughout the County. A renewable energy system will reduce operating costs for developers and tenants, and ownership stakes in the project will be offered to neighbors, giving them opportunities to support homeless housing and to participate in the economic benefits of housing development in their communities.

Awardee of the Housing Innovation Challenge.

The People Concern

The People Concern provides support services to FlyawayHomes by placing its clients in the units upon completion.

United Dwelling, LLC

Pioneering the institutional development of affordable housing by leveraging new Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) rules. Their privately-financed model will offer incentives to homeowners to rent their ADU to an individual or family experiencing homelessness. United Dwelling’s model also provides workforce development by training Chrysalis clients to carry out the site work. With 236,000 detached two-car garages in LA County, their vision is to convert 3,000 garages to ADUs by 2022.

Awardee of the Housing Innovation Challenge.

FOUNDATIONS & FUNDING

Philanthropic individuals, civic foundations, and crowdsourcing groups offering funds dedicated to serving the unhoused:

California Community Foundation’s Home L.A. Fund & Home L.A. Loan Fund

Home L.A. Fund: CCF seeks to leverage its dollars to help the L.A. County triple its production of supportive housing to 1,000 a year.

Home L.A. Loan Fund: an innovative, no-risk charitable investment option that allows CCF donors to pool their funds to create three- to five-year loans to spur the production of housing for the chronically homeless.

Healthy Housing Foundation by AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF)

Will provide decent housing units at an affordable cost to low-income people, including families with children, and those previously unsheltered or homeless. In Los Angeles, HHF will offer priority placement to individuals with chronic health conditions, including HIV/AIDS.

Hilton Foundation

Works with community advocates, nonprofits, city, county, state, other foundations and the private sector to identify solutions to chronic homelessness. Believes Housing First and harm reduction are proven best practices to end homelessness.

Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles

LAFLA focuses on both increasing and preserving affordable, quality housing. The foundation works to help people keep their homes in various ways, which are outlined on their website.

Stay Housed LA County is a new LAFLA initiative to connect tenants with resources about their rights and legal assistance.

The Ralph M. Parson’s Foundation

Through focused grant funds, referred to as Special Projects, Parson’s support efforts that seek to build the capacity of organizations, their leaders, and the nonprofit sector as a whole.

GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES

Dedicated City budget items, County bonds, Federal programs, etc:

PROPS, MEASURES & BILLS

Proposition HHH

A 2016 $1.2 billion bond measure to more than triple L.A.'s annual production of supportive housing and help build approximately 10,000 units for homeless Angelenos across the city.

Measure H, “Los Angeles County Plan to Prevent and Combat Homelessness”

Creates a one-quarter of a cent sales tax, which generates funds for the specific purposes of funding homeless services and short-term housing.

LA County Homeless Initiative

Created by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in 2015 to respond to the homelessness crisis. Los Angeles County’s Draft FY 2021-22 Homeless Initiative Funding Recommendations is the County’s proposed budget for preventing and combating homelessness in the fiscal year that began July 1. It includes investments in housing, shelter, street outreach, supportive services, and other proven strategies, largely using sales tax revenue generated through Measure H.

Its Housing Innovation Challenge is charged with combatting and preventing homelessness throughout the County. It awarded a total of $4.5 million to new, creative, and scalable housing solutions for those experiencing homelessness in LA County.

City of Los Angeles Emergency Renters Assistance Program

To help keep Angelenos housed, the City of Los Angeles and State of California announced a new partnership to provide more rental assistance to ensure that every renter and landlord eligible for relief will receive it.

SB 9

Streamlines the process for an owner to subdivide an existing single-family residential lot to create a duplex and/or allow for new infill construction.

SB 10

Establishes enabling legislation for jurisdictions that want to opt in and upzone urbanized areas close to transit, allowing up to 10 units per parcel without any CEQA oversight.

PROJECTS/PROGRAMS

A Bridge home

Launched by Mayor Garcetti, A Bridge Home is a plan to give homeless Angelenos in every neighborhood a refuge in the community they already know and love, until they can be connected with a permanent home.

Project Roomkey

A collaborative effort by the State, County and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) to secure hotel and motel rooms for vulnerable people experiencing homelessness.

Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s Point in Time (PIT) count & Winter Shelter Program

LAHSA is the lead agency in the LA Continuum of Care, the regional planning body that coordinates housing and services for homeless families and individuals in LA County. LAHSA coordinates and manages over $800 million annually in federal, state, county, and city funds for programs that provide shelter, housing, and services to people experiencing homelessness.

The PIT collects and publishes annual data about various types of homeless counts in LA.

The Winter Shelter Program is held annually to protect people experiencing homelessness during Los Angeles's colder months. Winter Shelters are located all across the County, and will be operating 24 hours a day this year due to COVID‑19.

NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS & NONPROFITS

These NGOs and nonprofits offer a variety of civic resources, and also ask for funds and volunteerism to support their needs.

Back on My Feet Los Angeles

Combats homelessness through the power of running, community support, and essential employment and housing resources.

Cardborigami, Inc.

Provides instant space to protect people from the elements through innovation and design. Connects displaced populations using its emergency shelter product to local service providers.

Community Corp. of Santa Monica

A Santa Monica-based nonprofit organization that restores, builds, and manages affordable housing for people of modest means.

Awardee of the Housing Innovation Challenge.

Covenant House California

Helps youth experiencing homelessness and protects and safeguards all youth in need.

Downtown Women's Center

Creates innovative programming focused on meeting the unique needs of homeless, formerly homeless, and extremely low-income women.

Grass Roots Neighbors

Volunteer community organization which meets the immediate needs of our neighbors experiencing food and housing insecurity.

Handle with Care

Assists the homeless community throughout Los Angeles, with a focus on West Hollywood and Hollywood. Provide care packages to people who are experiencing homelessness, filled with food, personal care items, and resource guides while making a personal connection to each person they meet.

HomeAid

Their mission is: “Building new lives for Los Angeles’ families and individuals experiencing homelessness through housing, education, and community outreach.” Pairs private builders with nonprofit service providers to achieve huge discounts on shelter construction and renovations.

Jamboree

Among the top 20 largest developers of affordable housing properties nationwide and California’s largest nonprofit builder of affordable housing.

Jovenes, Inc.

Their mission is to empower homeless and at-risk youth to become integrated members of their communities by providing an innovative program of stable housing options, compassionate care, life skills training, and employment support for young adults seeking a path to life change.

LA Family Housing

Helps people transition out of homelessness and poverty through a continuum of housing enriched with supportive services. Last year LAFH provided services to 11,000 people, moving close to 2,300 off the streets and into permanent homes. Donate here.

Our Future Los Angeles

A countywide coalition of justice advocates and labor leaders who are committed to housing and economic justice across L.A.

PATH (People Assisting the Homeless)

PATH’s mission is to end homelessness for individuals, families, and communities.

RAND Center on Housing and Homelessness in Los Angeles

Brings together interdisciplinary expertise, rigorous data collection, and analytic methods to address the challenges of providing affordable housing solutions in one of the most expensive housing markets in the nation and to better understand and serve the needs of people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles.

Safe Parking LA

Supports people who are homeless and living in their vehicles by providing them with a safe place to park at night.

Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housing

At the forefront of major policy initiatives in the region to address the affordable housing crisis.

St. joseph center

Leads the Coordinated Entry System for Families on the Westside and works closely with partners in other areas to provide seamless services for homeless and at-risk families with children. Services include rapid re-housing with short-term rental assistance, referrals, and case management to assist families in securing and maintaining safe, stable permanent housing, ideally in (or near) their own area — close to school, jobs, family, and community-based services.

The Committee for Greater LA

A cross-sectoral group of Angelenos whom assembled civic leaders at the start of the COVID pandemic to prioritize the recovery of LA County’s most marginalized communities.

Report: We’re Not Giving Up: A Plan For Homelessness Governance in Los Angeles

The Dream Builders Project LA

Participates in social campaigns and raises awareness & funds for genuine nonprofit organizations that impact homelessness, education, and more.

The Midnight Mission

Their mission is to offer a bridge to self-sufficiency and make available the necessities of life to people experiencing homelessness. Donating just $1.49 can help feed someone in need.

The Shower of Hope

Aims to not only provide shower services to assist individuals experiencing homelessness, but also to build community resource hubs (operates 25 locations) in partnership with other service provider agencies (mental health, substance abuse recovery, housing) where individuals in need can receive hygiene, meals, dignity, and a path out of homelessness.

Union Station Homeless Services

Their mission is to help individuals and families rebuild their lives and end homelessness across the San Gabriel Valley.

United Way Los Angeles

United Way's leadership helped pass both Prop HHH and Measure H — securing nearly $5 billion in civic funding over the next ten years. Provided housing to 40,000+ of our homeless neighbors since 2011.

Youth Emerging Stronger

Formerly called Los Angeles Youth Network, their mission is to provide runaway, homeless and foster youth with safety, stability and housing, along with the relationships and resources to thrive now and in the future.

MATERIALS

Sustainable, cost-effective materials which are helping pave the way for unique affordable housing.

Low Rise housing ideas for los angeles

Low-Rise: Housing Ideas for Los Angeles is a $100,000 design challenge asking architects and landscape architects to help imagine appealing and sustainable new models of low-rise, multi-unit housing. Part of a larger research initiative, overseen by the Mayor’s Office of Budget and Innovation in collaboration with the Urban Institute and other partners, on new paths to homeownership and housing affordability in Los Angeles.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Free and affordable professional services for the unhoused in Los Angeles.

Dr. Coley King’s Mobile Unit

Dr. Coley King visits the various homeless encampments around Venice, Calif. From the back of the van, his team — a nurse, caseworkers and often a volunteer — draws blood, checks vitals, conducts psychiatric evaluations. These include the one on Third Avenue, another on Hampton Drive, another on the boardwalk, one that used to be along Penmar — typically, clusters of tents, plywood structures, tarps strung up overhead. He also sees patients at a shelter and keeps hours a couple of nights a week at the Venice Family Clinic.

PUBLIC AMENITIES

Lack of these vividly illustrates the problem!

Homeless and Stable Living Resource Locations

The Los Angeles Public Library helps connect residents who are experiencing homelessness with resources to help them transition to stable, independent or supported living. This site will help you find work, food, housing and many other helpful services near library branches in the City of Los Angeles.

RESIDENTS

Residents and neighborhood associations must be engaged to help combat homelessness in their backyards and throughout the region.

7 Ways to Help L.A.’s Homeless Residents

Consider these ways to lend year-round support.

VOLUNTEERISM

These volunteering opportunities supplement those of the NGOs listed above.

LA County Homelessness Initiative Volunteer opportunities

LA Works hunger relief

The "Safer at Home" order allows food banks to operate so your hungry and homebound neighbors can get what they need. These food banks desperately need your volunteer help to sort donations, package food kits, or deliver meals. All banks have incorporated thorough distancing and hygiene procedures.

PRESS / RESEARCH

Find more information from stories tagged “homelessness” in our Civic Education - Civic News section: https://civicas.net/news-blog/tag/homelessness

Homelessness: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

A new, ‘first-class’ high-rise will house homeless people on L.A.’s skid row - Los Angeles Times

LA City Council opposes bills for multi-family housing in single-family zones - Spectrum News

Spertus Seeks Homeless Fix - LA Business Journal

Los Angeles Goes to War with Itself Over Homelessness - New York Times

LA Councilmember Paul Koretz Letter Opposing SB 10 - The Planning Report

New LA City Councilmember Nithya Raman Shares Her Priorities & Approach to Homelessness - The Planning Report

There's A New Proposal For The Homelessness Crisis: Get Agencies To Work Together - LAist

Los Angeles’s quixotic quest to end homelessness - Vox

These 11 Organizations Are Working Hard to Stem the Tide of Homelessness in L.A. - Los Angeles Magazine

Judge orders L.A. city and county to offer shelter to everyone on skid row by fall - Los Angeles Times

This federal judge is risking his life to save homeless people from the coronavirus - Los Angeles Times

What happened to L.A.'s $1 billion for homeless housing? - Los Angeles Times