Every night, nearly 66,000 Angelenos go to sleep homeless. They are families that have been evicted due to job loss, veterans suffering from trauma, former foster youth, mothers and fathers, daughters and sons. More than 15,000 are chronically homeless, spending months and years on the streets and often suffering from mental illness and physical disabilities. The human and financial costs are tremendous, and the need for safe, affordable housing has never been greater.
Together, we are taking on Los Angeles’ most urgent and intractable problems; homelessness and the insufficient supply of affordable housing. Through the California Community Foundation’s (CCF) Home L.A. Loan Fund donor investments are pooled and used to provide three or five year seed capital to organizations building permanent supportive housing units for the chronically homeless.
“CCF stepped in to remove a significant barrier to affordable housing development, the lack of capital for pre-development and land acquisition,” said Maria Cabildo, Director of Housing and Economic Opportunity at CCF. “This investment helped leverage public and private dollars to finance permanent supportive housing development’s earliest and riskiest phases.”
The seed investment from our donors totaling $5.77 million provided developers with the flexible capital needed to secure suitable sites for development of housing for the homeless and insecure population in Los Angeles. This resulted in the production of 42 housing projects which created 3,077 units that now serve as permanent homes for thousands of unhoused Angelenos.
I am excited about this next chapter, knowing how blessed I am to have a place to come home to.”
—Carmen Rhoades, residences on main tenant
Carmen Rhoades is a recipient of one of those units. For Carmen, hearing the news that a unit had become available at PATH Metro Villas 2 meant she now would have a safe place where she could sleep, cook, bathe and begin to rebuild her life. “I am excited about this next chapter, knowing how blessed I am to have a place to come home to.”
Homeless women face unique challenges that make them more vulnerable to victimization, sexual assault and physical violence. “Living in the streets of Los Angeles is very dangerous. Even shelters, that are supposed to provide a safe haven are spaces where women can be robbed or taken advantage of.”
Early on Carmen struggled to get access to the services she needed to manage her mental health and economic situation. Despite her circumstances, Carmen persevered, and her determination paid off when she connected with Brilliant Corners who provided her with case management and the resources, she needed to get off the streets through Project Roomkey. Project Roomkey provides unhoused individuals with a temporary solution, but for Carmen who was experiencing chronic homelessness for three years, the goal was to get her permanent housing where she could begin to heal.
Research shows that providing services without housing, or housing without services is not effective. But by combining housing with supportive services such as job training, case management and health care, we can make a real impact. This approach, known as permanent supportive housing (PSH), has been proven to be effective and can cut government costs for the chronically homeless by up to 75%
Having a permanent home has provided me with a safe space where I can sit down and organize my thoughts to make plans for the future.”
—James Jacobs,
Residences on Main Tenant
“I am excited about this next chapter, knowing how blessed I am to have a place to come home to,” Carmen shared. At PATH Metro Villas 2, Carmen not only has access to community amenities such as community rooms, laundry facilities, a community garden and landscaped courtyards but also a health program center that connects tenants to the resources and services they need.
Investing in affordable housing creates a sustainable solution and changes lives.
LA Angeles Scholars
Investment Fund
The Los Angeles Scholars Investment Fund (LASIF) was established in 2012 as a partnership between CCF and the College Futures Foundation to increase college access and success in L.A. County.
LA Arts
Recovery Fund
Initiated by the J. Paul Getty Trust and administered by CCF, the LA Arts Recovery Fund is a collaboration of local and national funders and is the largest-ever pooled private investment for arts across L.A.
