Grant Announcement: Bank of America

Permanent supportive housing – decent, affordable, community-based housing that offers voluntary support services – has proven to be most effective at helping individuals who struggle long-term homelessness. However, Los Angeles only has enough of permanent supportive housing to help 20% of those in need. We are proud to announce that Bank of America awarded the Trust $20,000 to help us continue creating safe and stable homes for some of our most vulnerable neighbors. With the support of partners like Bank of America, we aim to develop or renovate over 1,200 units of permanent supportive housing over the next five years. “Tackling the immediate needs of our homeless neighbors who continue to struggle with access to affordable housing is important to assist them with regaining and maintaining long-term stability,” said Raul A. Anaya, Los Angeles market president, Bank of America. “By supporting nonprofits like Skid Row Housing Trust, we can strengthen our community and play a vital role in its overall economic health.”

Gensler Welcomes New Residents Home

This summer, interns from Gensler Los Angeles raised $2,000 to purchase supplies for Welcome Home Kits for the first-ever residents of Crest Apartments, the Trust’s newest permanent supportive housing property.

Welcome Home Kits help ease the transition from homelessness into housing by providing essential kitchen ware, cleaning supplies, and personal hygiene items. On August 1st, the interns put the kits together alongside staff from National Equity Fund, which assisted in the financing of the Crest Apartments. In the next few weeks, new residents moving into Crest Apartments will each receive one of these kits, which will also include handwritten notes of support from the interns.

We are thrilled to work with innovative partners like Gensler and National Equity Fund who care deeply about every step of the permanent supportive housing process. Stay tuned over the coming months as we celebrate the official grand opening of the Crest Apartments, which will provide 64 units of permanent supportive housing in L.A.’s Van Nuys neighborhood.

SRHT, New Pershing

SRHT, New Pershing

SRHT, New Pershing

SRHT, New Pershing

Psomas Paper Yacht Challenge

On June 23rd, we raced paper boats across City National Plaza Fountain to raise support for Skid Row Housing Trust! We raised over $50,000 for permanent supportive housing that breaks the cycle of homelessness, a record for the event. Thank you to Psomas and all the wonderful sponsors, volunteers, participants, and donors who made this fun-filled event possible. View photos online highlighting the event, and check out the great PHHHOTO booth at http://phhhoto.com/p/paperyacht.

Tasty treats and beverages were served by The Pie Hole, Pink’s Hotdogs, Tito’s Vodka, and Boomtown Brewery. Silent auction items were donated by Rotelli Cyclery, Skingraft, LA Downtowner, The Standard, ACE Hotel, Warby Parker, Tanner Goods, Wheelhouse Coffee, Panel Wallets, and many more. This year’s sponsors included:

ADMIRAL

Tito’s Vodka

CAPTAINS

The Giving Keys

Union Bank

LIEUTENANTS

National Equity Fund (NEF)

Foley Lardner LLP

ENSIGNS

Bocarsly Emden Cowan Esmail & Arndt LLP

JOSS Realty

The Standard

ABLE SEAMEN

ACEC

Eminent Resources, Inc.

Dealey, Renton & Associates

Gensler

California Community Foundation

Warby Parker

Killefer Flammang Architects

Crain & Associates

Geoffrey Arrobio

Morley Builders

Nabhi Yousef

Tribute Real Estate Holdings

PIRATES

Gibson Transportation

LAHQ

John Pallante

Partner Energy, Inc.

Arad Vejdani

HONORARY SPONSORS

The Pie Hole

Boomtown Brewery

City National Plaza

LA Downtown News

DJs on a Dime

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Housing and Mental Health

May was Mental Health Awareness Month. The Trust’s approach to permanent supportive housing is to provide the stability, support, and community necessary for its residents to address an array of mental health issues. To highlight the connection between supportive housing and mental health, we interviewed Stacey Hartnett, a Resident Services Coordinator, and Kara Klein, a psychotherapist with John Wesley Community Health (JWCH). Stacey and Kara work together closely at the Trust’s Abbey Apartments to provide residents a safe living space that has a network of support. Watch to learn more about how Trust’s partnership with JWCH Institute helps residents achieve wellness.
Learn more about JWCH Institute at jwchinstitute.org.

A bold bet in LA: Using health care funds to find housing for the homeless

STAT News: The job sounds impossible: solve the health care crisis in the massive and desperately sick homeless population of Skid Row, which sprawls across dozens of blocks just south of downtown.

Foundations Partner to Accelerate Development of Permanent Supportive Housing

 

Conrad N. Hilton Foundation President & CEO Peter Laugharn, California Community Foundation President & CEO Antonia Hernández, and Weingart Foundation President & CEO Fred Ali announced their partnership to accelerate permanent supportive housing alongside Skid Row Housing Trust CEO Mike Alvidrez, LA City Councilmember Gil Cedillo, and Joe Sims, a resident of the New Genesis. Photo courtesy of the California Community Foundation.

Yesterday morning, Skid Row Housing Trust hosted a press conference for the California Community Foundation, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, and Weingart Foundation at the New Genesis. The three foundations officially announced that they are partnering to provide $16 million in loans and grants to accelerate the production of permanent supportive housing in the City of Los Angeles to at least 1,000 units per year, a 700-unit increase from current production levels.

The proposal also calls upon the City of Los Angeles to create new, local revenue streams to fund the increased production of permanent supportive housing, and to build upon Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Executive Directive 13 to dramatically reduce development timelines for permanent supportive housing.

“We know that permanent supportive housing has a proven track record of helping those most in need, while saving government and tax-payer money,” said California Community Foundation President & CEO Antonia Hernández. “By moving frequent users of services like emergency rooms and shelters into apartments that provide much-needed social services, we’re helping our homeless neighbors stabilize and eventually become self-sufficient.”

Mayor Garcetti, Councilmember Gill Cedillo, and Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson also spoke in support of the initiative. The foundations’ support will leverage Mayor Garcetti’s commitment of $138 million to combat homelessness over the next year. The coalition aims to build on this momentum and encourage the City to develop long-term solutions to homelessness.

“Homelessness touches every corner of our City, impacting all of us,” said Mayor Garcetti. “To combat the crisis, my 2016 budget will include a historic $138 million investment to drive forward our homelessness strategies, but as we bring record levels of City investments to the table, we also need all hands on deck. These foundations are leading the private sector by partnering with us to do more for those who need our help the most. I applaud their work.”

In addition to remarks from CEO Mike Alvidrez, New Genesis resident, Joe Sims spoke about the impact that permanent supportive housing has had on his health and wellbeing.

Photo courtesy of the California Community Foundation.

Transforming the Past

We’ve partnered with The Order, a Downtown Los Angeles tattoo parlor, to offer free tattoo cover-ups to Trust residents. Tattoos, particularly those gained in prison, can be lasting reminders of a painful past. By transforming tattoos that are a source of stigma and shame, a cover-up can represent redemption, acceptance and hope. Kenneth, a Peer Advocate at the Trust, was the first to visit The Order for a tattoo cover-up. Now a mentor who teaches creative writing to residents, Kenneth received the tattoo while incarcerated. Kenneth was proud of his transformed tattoo by the end of the process, lighting up the whole room with his smile.

Read more about the partnership in LA Downtowner.

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Kenneth’s tattoo before and after The Order’s cover-up.

Grand Opening of The Six

TheSixRibbonCuttingMayor Eric Garcetti, Councilmember Gil Cedillo, State Senate President pro Tempore Kevin De Leon, and US Congressman Xavier Becerra helped the Trust officially unveil The Six, welcoming new residents home. With 52 apartments and studios for formerly homeless individuals, it is the Trust’s first development with permanent supportive housing specifically for veterans. In the military, “got your six” means “I’ve got your back.” The Six has space for onsite supportive programs to help residents achieve health and wellness, and its courtyards and common areas are peaceful sanctuaries that connect with the surrounding community. Designed by Brooks + Scarpa Architects, The Six is expected to receive LEED Platinum Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Located in MacArthur Park, The Six is the Trust’s first building completed outside of Downtown Los Angeles, showing that our successful model, based on Housing First, Harm Reduction, and Design Equity, can be applied to neighborhoods across the region. We are expanding our work to create more supportive and affordable housing options for the 44,000 people who are homeless throughout Los Angeles County.

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2016 Housing First Partners Conference

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Last week, Skid Row Housing Trust participated in the Housing First Partners Conference in Downtown Los Angeles, which is the largest conference of its kind. Focused on bringing Housing First programs to scale to end chronic homelessness nationwide, over 800 attendees shared strategies and experiences from their communities. As a sponsor, the Trust helped kick-off the conference on Tuesday, March 22nd by leading tours of the Skid Row neighborhood and Trust buildings. Trust staff also presented on lessons learned from renovating and updating older buildings in our portfolio. On the conference’s last day, CEO Mike Alvidrez helped introduce Congresswoman Maxine Waters, who spoke about her $13 billion budget proposal to address homelessness. “We know how to solve homelessness, and our strategies are backed by evidence. For instance, Housing First has been adopted by the VA as the model for ending veteran homelessness,” said Trust CEO Mike Alvidrez. “The challenge now is to expand our programs so that everyone in need can access housing.”

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LA County Spotlights Star Apartments

A Star Turn from Los Angeles County Newsroom on Vimeo.

Los Angeles County Newsroom visited the Star Apartments to talk with residents and staff to learn more about the innovative complex. Named one of TIME’s best inventions of 2015, the Star Apartments is a product of Skid Row Housing Trust’s pioneering partnership with Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, which identifies and refers individuals to the Star who were homeless and frequent utilizers of its emergency health services. Watch to find out why the Star is a nationally recognized model studied by organizations and local governments seeking to address the root causes of homelessness in their communities.