Hilton Foundation to End Homelessness in L.A.

The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation today announced $13 million in grants to fund key  a campaign to end homelessness in L.A. The grants includes:

• $9 million toward the creation of 2,500 new permanent supportive housing units;
  
  

• $3.6 million to identify and house 4,500 of the most vulnerable people on the streets;
• $330,000 for an innovative pilot program to ease the transition into housing; and
• $200,000 to engage faith leaders and communities in the campaign.

Permanent supportive housing combines affordable housing with on-site comprehensive services such as mental health treatment, substance abuse prevention, employment opportunities, and life training. Studies in Los Angeles show that it is 40 percent less costly to place someone in permanent supportive housing than to leave them on the streets. Further, the costs decrease over time. National studies reveal that chronically homeless people—18 percent of the overall homeless population—consume 64 percent of homeless system resources.

Since 2004, the Hilton Foundation has provided more than $20 million in grants and loans to increase access to supportive housing in Los Angeles, resulting in the development of more than 2,300 units and initiating the establishment of the $30 million Los Angeles Supportive Housing Loan Fund.

$3.6 million in grants will go to five organizations over three years to house the most vulnerable homeless persons in Los Angeles County. Common Ground will receive $600,000 to work with community leaders and organizations to survey, identify and house 4,500 of the most vulnerable persons living on the streets or in shelters. Four organizations will receive $750,000 each for local efforts to move people from the streets into permanent housing – Mental Health America in downtown Long Beach, St. Joseph Center in Venice, Skid Row Housing Trust in downtown Los Angeles and Step Up on Second in Hollywood.

The Downtown Women's Center will receive $330,000 over two years to implement Critical Time Intervention, an innovative program of intensive services for 80 chronically homeless women to help them transition into permanent housing. This will be the first time the program has been implemented in Los Angeles although it has been effective elsewhere. PATH Partners has been awarded $200,000 over two years to engage and mobilize the diverse faith leaders and communities in Los Angeles County to advocate for policies and programs to end homelessness.

"This campaign is a great step forward to eradicating long term homelessness in our home town," notes Hilton, "and we are proud to participate as a funder and advocate and to encourage others to join us. Making a difference in the lives of vulnerable people is our core mission and there could be no greater way to fulfill this mandate than to help our neighbors find homes, medical and other services and, most of all, hope."


Source Article from multifamilybiz.com

Hilton Foundation