The Los Angeles Family Housing’s (LAFH) mission is to help people transition out of homelessness and poverty through a continuum of housing enriched with supportive services. LAFH has grown enormously since its inception in 1988 as a merger between an interfaith organization of community leaders (who initially purchased an old motel to help the growing number of unhoused people in the San Fernando Valley) and a South L.A.-based developer who was building small, permanently affordable apartment buildings in Southeast L.A. Their combined experience in temporary and permanent housing, as well as the unprecedented growth in homelessness, has resulted in LAFH now owning and operating 26 facilities and serving over 11,000 clients annually. The majority of funding comes from philanthropic donations, government organizations, and earned income. 90% of this funding goes directly to programs and services benefiting their participants.
Accommodation for Arroyo residents
In order to ensure that the RCA grant supports only women (and their children, when needed), RCA focused on assisting The Arroyo, a new LAFH facility which provides shelter for 85 adult women. The Arroyo is in north Los Angeles County in Sylmar. The residents work with case managers to move into permanent housing and all participants receive three meals daily, a communal space to relax and socialize, access to technology, and enrichment programming. In order to maintain a neutral space of healing, the Arroyo is a women-only facility, from participants to staff, including volunteers. Ideally, residents should stay for only three months but because of COVID and the lack of affordable housing, they are averaging six to nine months. The Arroyo provides a safe, much-needed path out of homelessness for the women in Los Angeles County.
Part of the Ambassador’s role with the RCA grantees is to assist with on-site volunteer projects. As this was impossible during the Pandemic and now that things are opening, LAFH has asked Ebell members to help with their many volunteer opportunities. This would require only a few hours and will take place in the fall. We will keep our members updated with details about the specific project, date and times.
Joyce Davidson
Ambassador to LAFH
