What We Do
Total Properties
Temporary Shelter
Permanent Rental
How many we helped in 2011
Overview
How To Access
Since 1983, LAFH has grown to become the largest provider of affordable housing in the San Fernando Valley and a best practices provider of basic needs and homeless services throughout Greater Los Angeles. LAFH is a unique housing provider because its services and real estate development address the full continuum of care for homeless and low-income households, from temporary housing to permanent rental housing, all linked to supportive services. In total we own and operate 22 properties, including three shelters and 19 permanent affordable apartment buildings. In 2011, LAFH reached 3,518 children, parents and single adults through its multi-tiered supportive housing system.
The agency maintains a 92% success rate in placing families in permanent, independent housing. Each year, our wraparound service and housing continuum helps more than 500 households transition from the streets to housing stability. By balancing housing costs with basic needs, offering supportive services to increase self-sufficiency, and preserving and increasing the stock of affordable housing in LA, our work helps to build neighborhood infrastructure and inject economic growth into low-income communities.
Sydney M. Irmas Transitional Living Center
Andy Gomez
Intake Coordinator
P: 818-982-4091 x167
Trudy & Norman Louis Valley Shelter
Marcy Evangelista
Intake Coordinator
P: 818-982-4091 x139
Sydney M. Irmas Transitional Living Center (TLC)
The Sydney M. Irmas Transitional Living Center opened in North Hollywood in 1998 to provide 260 beds of emergency and transitional housing with supportive services for homeless children and their families.
Keeping Families Together
Vital to a family’s success is the ability to stay together during periods of homelessness. The unique design of our shelters - featuring individualized family units - is unusual in a shelter environment, and the privacy provided allows LAFH to serve diverse family compositions, including two-parent households, single males with children, disabled family members, teenage children, same sex couples, members with HIV/AIDS, veterans with children, transition age youth, and foster children reunited with their biological families.
Youth Enrichment
A child without a home is often a child without stable schooling. Along with traditional academic support, including school reintegration and after school tutoring, TLC introduces resident students to new ways of learning outside of the classroom with activities targeted to their own interests, including a computer learning program, Science, Journalism, and Book Clubs, and visual and performance arts activities.
Three hundred and fifty children reside at TLC annually, where they have access to an on-site library, teen room, and computer lab. Their academic success, including improved grades and reduced school truancy, is a critical step toward a family’s long-term stabilization.
Supportive Services
On-site supportive services, provided through our own programs and through partner organizations, include:
- Family case management
- Employment search and job retention training
- Life skills training (including parenting classes, family budgeting, and money management)
- Housing counseling and placement assistance
- Referrals to medical and mental health services
- Professional and casual clothing
- Transportation assistance
- Drug and alcohol counseling
- Three nutritious and balanced meals daily in an on-site cafeteria
- School enrollment and reintegration services
- Family reading program
- Supervised field trips and art activities
- Assistance in securing child care
- On-site library and computer lab
- Hygiene supplies, including diapers for infants
- Children’s after-school enrichment activities and homework assistance
Comunidad Cesar Chavez
Comunidad Cesar Chavez (CCC) is the major provider of emergency shelter and supportive services for homeless families in East Los Angeles. With 140 beds for children and their parents, CCC has been an integral part of the Boyle Heights community since opening its doors in 1988.
Creating a Sense of Stability
Families stay for up to three months in private units with a living area, built-in kitchen, bathroom, telephone, and storage space, and have access to an on-site food pantry, community room, library, and computer lab. Through a wide variety of support services, CCC strengthens a family’s ability to care for themselves and positions them on a path to sustained self-sufficiency.
Supportive Services
Families arrive at CCC fresh from experiencing the fear, danger, and indignity of homelessness, with most shuffling between motels, the family car, or the streets prior to their arrival. Family members under the age of 18 frequently struggle with issues of poor health, stress- and nutrition-related physical conditions, learning disorders, intermittent school attendance, and behavioral problems.
Each year at CCC, 300 children receive emergency housing and support services. The shelter, which includes a playground, basketball court, and community garden, strives to provide an environment in which young residents feel safe, positive, and engaged as their parents work to secure employment and permanent housing.
Supportive Services
On-site supportive services, provided through our own programs and through partner organizations, include:
- Family case management
- Assistance in securing child care
- Children’s after-school enrichment activities and homework assistance
- Employment search and job retention training
- On-site computer lab
- Hygiene supplies, including diapers for infants
- Life skills training (including parenting classes, family budgeting, and money management)
- Housing counseling and placement assistance
- Drug and alcohol counseling
- Referrals to medical and mental health services
- Professional and casual clothing
- Transportation assistance
Trudy & Norman Louis Valley Shelter
The Trudy & Norman Louis Valley Shelter in North Hollywood provides emergency and transitional housing and supportive services for more than 1,000 homeless single adults annually. Since 1985, Valley Shelter has been the largest housing and service provider for the San Fernando Valley’s most vulnerable homeless individuals.
Chronically Homeless
More than half of Valley Shelter’s residents have experienced chronic homelessness. After living on the streets for extended periods of time and suffering from one or more disabilities, residents receive comprehensive medical and mental health care, recovery counseling, and permanent supportive housing placement assistance.
Serving U.S. Veterans
About half of all homeless veterans suffer from mental illness and more than two-thirds suffer from substance abuse problems; 40% have co-occurring disorders that hinder their stability. Valley Shelter offers a veteran’s program specifically designed to provide homeless vets with health care, benefits advocacy, employment search, and permanent housing placement assistance.
Supportive Services
On-site supportive services, provided through our own programs and through partner organizations, include:
- Case management
- Employment readiness, placement, and retention
- Permanent housing search and placement
- Three nutritious and balanced meals daily in an on-site cafeteria
- Designated beds and housing referrals for persons with HIV/AIDS
- Drug and alcohol recovery programs
- Referrals to substance abuse treatment facilities
- Medical and mental health services
- Hygiene supplies
- Professional and casual clothing
- Transportation assistance
- Life skills training, including money management
- Adult literacy
Temporary Housing
Sydney M. Irmas Transitional Living Center
- Sydney M. Irmas Transitional Living Center
- Comunidad Cesar Chavez
- Trudy & Norman Louis Valley Shelter
Development Principles
Our development, ownership, and operation of permanent affordable housing are guided by three key principles:
- Design and development of "sustainable" buildings
- Ownership of responsibly managed, financially sound properties
- Provision of servies that are responsive to resident needs
LAFH has developed and currently operates 22 properties that include emergency and transitional housing, multi-family affordable rental housing, and permanent supportive housing. With each new development, we work with the surrounding community and its stakeholders to share these principles and our commitment to LAFH residents as they transition out of homelessness and poverty.
Sustainable Design
Responsible Property Management
Responsive Resident Services
Affordable Housing with Supportive Services
Each L.A. Family Housing property minimizes its environmental footprint through the use of energy-efficient systems, renewable building materials, and close proximity to public transportation, supermarkets, schools, public parks, and other community resources.
Our property management services provide on-site management, maintenance and repairs, and reporting to our financial partners, and ensure that all concerns and needs of our tenants are addressed.
Thanks to the efforts of our Housing Resource Center, Tenant Services Coordinator, and Case Managers, our properties offer tenants the opportunity to increase their self-sufficiency and improve their lives through a wide availability of services and resources.
Palo Verde
8925-8933 Glenoaks Boulevard
Sun Valley, CA 91352
60 Single Units – Permanent Supportive Housing
Year Placed in Service: 2011
Alabama Court
7440-7452 Alabama Avenue
Canoga Park, CA 91303
30 Family Units
Year Placed in Service: 2006
Casa Central
1120-1128 East 32nd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90011
6 Family Units
Year Placed in Service: 1988
Casa Figueroa
4433 S. Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, CA 90037
4 Family Units
Year Placed in Service: 1989
Cecil Younger Gardens
14649 Saticoy Street
North Hollywood, CA 91605
30 Family Units
Year Placed in Service: 2006
Cochran Villa
2921 Redondo Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90016
10 Family Units
Year Placed in Service: 1993
Delano Court I
14716 Delano Street
Van Nuys, CA 91411
9 Family Units
Year Placed in Service: 1995
Delano Court II
14722 Delano Street
Van Nuys, CA 91411
9 Family Units
Year Placed in Service: 1995
Gentry Village
6842 Gentry Avenue
North Hollywood, CA 91605
3 Family Units
Year Placed in Service: 1991
Gentry Village North
6846 Gentry Avenue
North Hollywood, CA 91605
5 Family Units
Year Placed in Service: 1992
Harmony Gardens
5239 Harmony Avenue
North Hollywood, CA 91601
14 Family Units
Year Placed in Service: 1997
Harmony Place
5321 Harmony Avenue
North Hollywood, CA 91601
18 Family Units
Year Placed in Service: 1992
Hyde Park Manor
300 West Hyde Park Boulevard
Inglewood, CA 90302
22 Family Units
Year Placed in Service: 2002
Klump Apartments
5120 Klump Avenue
North Hollywood, CA 91601
24 Single Units
Year Placed in Service: 2001
Martin Luther King Villa
801 40th Place
Los Angeles, CA 90037
7 Family Units
Year Placed in Service: 1991
Offsay Steinhauser Village
(Victory Gardens)
13436 Victory Boulevard
Valley Glen, CA 91401
15 Family Units
Year Placed in Service: 2001
Strong Residence
826 South Coronado Street
Los Angeles, CA 90057
6 Family Units
Year Placed in Service: 1992
Vanowen Gardens
11754 Vanowen Street
North Hollywood, CA 91601
15 Family Units
Year Placed in Service: 1997
Vineland Place
7843 Vineland Avenue
Sun Valley, CA 91352
18 Family Units
Year Placed in Service: 1995
Day Street Apartments
7639-7653 Day Street
Tujunga, CA 91402
To provide the most appropriate permanent housing options for our chronically homeless population, we are in the process of converting Klump Apartments into Permanent Supportive Housing. Capital rehabilitation of the property will allow for office and supportive service space to provide on-site health, recovery, and counseling services for single adult tenants.
Conversion of Klump Apartments
5120 Klump Avenue
North Hollywood, CA 91601
In the summer of 2012, planning kicked off for the Campus, which will be the culmination of LAFH’s ten-year strategic vision to reinvest in its future as the leading provider of housing and homeless services in Los Angeles and realize the full potential of its most significant real estate asset.
The Campus will be a one-stop comprehensive community center and housing provider, expanding the agency’s reach and services available to the San Fernando Valley’s homeless and low-income through:
- State-of-the-art primary health clinic incorporating mental health, dental and vision care
- Service hubs for employment counseling, legal advocacy, housing stability, and case management
- Social enterprise and vocational training programs
- New apartments of permanent supportive housing
- Refurbished temporary housing
The Campus
7843 Lankershim Boulevard
North Hollywood, CA 91605
Arriving in 2019!
Permanent Housing
Development Principles
- Development Principles
- Existing Portfolio
- New Developments
Service Principle
The bridge from temporary shelter to permanent housing is strengthened by our provision of comprehensive supportive services in our shelters and our apartments to meet our residents' needs. LAFH is committed to breaking the cycle of homelessness through an extensive wraparound bilingual supportive service program that helps families become and remain self-sufficient. Once the basic needs of food and shelter are met, families can focus on eliminating their barriers to permanent, stable housing through the following services:
Housing Resource Center
The Housing Resource Center (HRC) bridges the agency’s continuum for families by providing a central point of contact for critical housing search, placement and move-in assistance, follow-up services, and community linkages as families move to permanent affordable housing.
The HRC is the only center of its kind in Los Angeles. By dedicating trained staff solely to the service of securing and sustaining housing, the HRC 1) reduces the length of stay for shelter residents, 2) allows case managers to focus on supportive services that strengthen a family’s self-sufficiency, and 3) increases the number of families achieving housing stability.
The Housing Resource Center consists of three components:
1) Housing Stability Program, which includes access to rental assistance and Section 8 vouchers for shelter residents
2) New Lease Program, a scattered-site transitional housing program providing a "housing first" model by moving families from the streets or emergency shelter into existing furnished apartments
3) Tenant Services Program, providing direct services and linkages that support tenant goals of increasing economic well-being, self-determination, and overall housing stability
Service Partners
A Community of Friends
http://www.acof.org/
Acencia
http://www.achieveglendale.org/blog/
Abode
http://abodecommunities.org/site/
Hillview Mental Health Center
http://www.hillviewmhc.org/
Homes For Life
http://homesforlife.org/
Imagine LA
http://www.imaginela.org/main/index.html
New Directions
http://www.newdirectionsinc.org/
PATH
http://www.epath.org/index_01.php
Project New Start
http://www.movinglivesforward.org/programs/project-new-start
Employment
Under the guidance of two Employment Counselors, LAFH clients are assisted with securing viable employment through help with job readiness, placement and retention/follow-up services. Employment Counselors assess clients for job skills, review work history and background, assist with resumé development, conduct mock interviews, and provide help with job search activities. Employment staff also work to develop relationships with employers in the community to increase opportunities for placement as well as make referrals to agencies that provide additional employment resources. Two on-site computer labs aid in the employment readiness and job search components of the program. LAFH helps more than 300 individuals gain employment each year.
Service Partners
Chrysalis
www.changelives.org
North Valley Occupational Center
www.nvoc.org
Northeast San Fernando Valley WorkSource Center
www.wsca.cc
El Proyecto del Barrio
www.elproyecto.us
Educational Enrichment
Through a strong partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District’s (LAUSD) Homeless Services Program, LAFH enrolls and reintegrates students back into school following periods of homelessness. Each student’s return to school is bolstered with after-school, weekend, and summer activities designed to keep them engaged in learning.
The program’s activities include:
- School Enrollment and Reintegration
- After-School Tutoring
- Homework Help
- Science Club
- Book Club
- Journalism Club
- SPLAT (Showing People Learning and Technology)
- FLIX (film classes taught be volunteers from the entertainment industry)
The program encourages children to exercise skills including sharing, cooperation, and emotional self-management that 1) improve their self-esteem, 2) cultivate leadership qualities, and 3) prepare them for higher learning. A main objective is to strengthen the family unit and provide activities for parents and their children to interact and learn together:
- Family Reading Nights
- ESL Classes
- Parenting Classes
- "Mommy & Me" Classes
- Girl Scout Chapter
- Holiday and Monthly Birthday Celebrations
- Field Trips
- Visual and Performance Art Activities
Service Partners
A Chance for Children
http://www.achanceforchildren.org/
Free Arts
http://www.freearts.org/
LAUSD
http://pupilservices.lausd.net/homeless-education-program
Pacoima Skills Center
http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Pacoima_Skills_Ctr/
School on Wheels
http://www.schoolonwheels.org/
Health
At L.A. Family Housing, resident families benefit from health management strategies that combine education and behavioral modification activities with the provision of basic needs, including personal hygiene items, food, clothing, and on-site medical treatment (in partnership with Northeast Valley Health Corporation). The program seeks to promote a healthy-living environment, reduce health-related conditions, and ease the barriers to stable housing and employment by increasing health awareness and providing preventative services, linkages to community health partners, and access to free health care.
Health and well-being services include:
- Medical Treatment (includes child examinations and immunizations, treatment of acute and chronic illnesses, x-ray and laboratory services, and dental)
- HEAL (Healthy Eating and Living workshops led by medical clinician staff on topics including flu/cold prevention, nutrition, diabetes, smoking, oral health, etc.)
- Sports Club (organized after school physical fitness activities)
- Hip Hop and Ballet Dance Classes
- Go Green Youth Groups (environmental-learning activities, including gardening, recycling, and hiking initiatives)
Mental Health: LAFH provides an on-site Mental Health Counselor and works closely with the San Fernando Valley Community Mental Health Center, Hillview Mental Health, and the Department of Mental Health to meet the needs of clients suffering from mental illness.
Recovery: LAFH works in close collaboration with several partner agencies to provide in- and out-patient treatment and ongoing counseling for clients struggling with substance abuse.
Service Partners
- Northeast Valley Health Corporation
www.nevhc.org - Valley Community Clinic
www.valleycommunityclinic.org - San Fernando Valley
Community Mental Health Center
www.movinglivesforward.org
- Department of Mental Health
www.dmh.ca.gov - People in Progress
www.valleycommunityclinic.org - Tarzana Treament Center
www.tarzanatc.org
Financial Stability
The Financial Stability Program at LAFH serves homeless and low-income households with financial education, coaching, and asset building resources that improve financial habits and increase the incomes of adults working toward self-sufficiency. Each year the Financial Stability Program helps 200 low-income adults increase their income through savings, public benefits, tax credits, debt and credit repair, and helps more than 600 adults increase their financial literacy and change financial management behaviors.
The three program components include:
- Financial education, consisting of five 8-week courses throughout the year that are taught on-site by a trained instructor from Valley College on topics including budget management, credit basics, banking, checking accounts, loans, savings and investments, predatory lending, consumer protection, mortgages, and bankruptcy.
- Financial coaching, consisting of one-on-one counseling by the program’s Financial Counselor and Case Managers who provide budget management, credit repair, debt management services, help accessing benefits including EITC, and tax preparation assistance.
- Asset building, consisting of individual client trust accounts where a client is encouraged to save 80% of their income after expenses while enrolled in the program.
Service Partners
- Valley College
www.lavc.edu - Clearpoint Financial Solutions
www.clearpointfinancialsolutions.org
Life Skills
Our life skills curriculum strengthens a client’s transition out of homelessness by providing the knowledge and tools necessary to independently succeed in permanent housing. Classes contain critical information clients need to make healthy choices in their lives and reduce risk factors that lead to housing instability.
LAFH teaches practical life skills lessons that 1) improve self-esteem, 2) empower clients to reach their highest potential, and 3) increase the likelihood of long-term residential stability. Life skills training and education occurs at each of LAFH’s three shelters, and includes:
- Personal Care
- Hygiene
- Nutrition
- Accessing community resources
- Setting goals
- Interpersonal Communication
- Conflict resolution
- Appropriate self-disclosure
- Healthy boundaries
- Parenting
- Healthy communication
- Discipline
- Building self esteem
- Encouraging positive choices
- Legal Aid
- Benefits Advocacy
- Immigration
Service Partners
Bet Tzedek Legal Services
www.bettzedek.org
California Children’s Academy
www.californiachildrensacademy.org
Jewish Family Services
www.jfsla.org
Legal Aid Foundation of L.A.
www.lafla.org
Neighborhood Legal Services
www.nls-la.org
Van Nuys Treatment Center
www.vntreatment.com
Nutrition
The Nutrition Program promotes healthy eating by serving three balanced meals each day in two on-site commercial-size cafeterias and kitchens (40,000 meals served per month and nearly 500,000 annually). The program also oversees two on-site community gardens that grow an ongoing supply of fruits and vegetables to supplement family meals. The gardens produce fresh picked food for the agency’s cafeteria salad bar, ensuring families have proper sustenance; and with the help of a volunteer Master Gardner, families participate in nutrition educational classes held in the gardens and also learn how to cultivate their own garden once in their own homes.
Service Partners
L.A. Regional Food Bank
http://www.lafoodbank.org/
University of California Cooperative Extension
http://ucanr.org/
Supportive Services
Service Principle
- Service Principle
- Housing Resource Center
- Employment
- Educational Enrichment
- Health
- Financial Stability
- Life Skills
- Nutrition