LIVECarry Forward
Carrying forward is helping those who are in need of housing, workforce training, and other services; we collaborate to mobilize help for veterans and other Angelenos.
Please describe the activation your organization seeks to launch.
To “Carry Forward” means to make progress in addressing some of the issues that veterans and other Angelenos face every day. Collaborative efforts can work to provide "affordable" housing and workforce training for those in need. Veterans and others who are experiencing homelessness are in need of affordable housing, skills that help them reach self-sufficiency, and easy access to health care.
Which of the LIVE metrics will your activation impact?
Healthcare access
Housing affordability
Number of households below the self-sufficiency standard
Will your proposal impact any other LA2050 goal categories?
LA is the best place to LEARN
LA is the best place to CREATE
LA is the healthiest place to CONNECT
In what areas of Los Angeles will you be directly working?
County of Los Angeles
City of Los Angeles
How will your activation mobilize Angelenos?
Digital organizing or activism
Trainings and/or in-person engagements
Encourage businesses to change practices
Increase participation in political processes
Influence individual behavior
Connect Angelenos with impactful volunteer opportunities
Increase donations to organizations and causes
Create Collaboration
Describe in greater detail how your activation will make LA the best place to LIVE?
LA County is already a great place to live, which is why so many live there. It will become the "best" place to live as it addresses self-sufficiency and homelessness issues.
The general public mainly sees news reports about money being spent on the less fortunate, but new housing won't become available for at least 3 years. They want results now.
Collaborative efforts are key to efficiency and success. It takes more than money, it takes activities that "Carry Forward" the city and county. We will reach out to include organizations, businesses, and government agencies.
The empty houses, apartment building, motels/hotels, warehouses, and other building with good bones will stand strong as they are converted to sustainable living environments. The first step will be to lease homes to house homeless individuals and veterans who are in need of housing so they have a safe place to live while attending free workforce training and connecting individuals to needed services.
Through collaborative efforts of organizations located outside and inside the city of LA and LA County, efforts are increased. Neighboring counties and organizations know about the challenges that exist in LA County and want to help in the efforts to "Carry Forward" their communities.
The University of Southern California and the Los Angeles Veterans Collaborative did a study of California Veterans, finding and concluding the following:
Each year, approximately 12,000 military veterans will settle in Los Angeles County as they transition out of the military, joining the 325,000 veterans who currently reside here. For the most part, veterans in California and Los Angeles County reflect the larger national demographics, with the exception that the local population has more Hispanic and Asian veterans than the national average.
The findings from the Los Angeles County Veterans Study have revealed several overarching issues that deserve attention:
* 1st, many service members leaving the military are not prepared for the transition.
* 2nd, many military veterans have a wide range of needs that cannot be easily provided by a single organization.
* 3rd, veteran support organizations are not organized to provide holistic support to current and returning veterans.
* 4th, most veteran support organizations are focused on meeting acute and chronic needs of veterans, such as homelessness, immediate or severe health issues, or acute or chronic unemployment. Very little attention is given to preventing these conditions or intervening early to prevent them from becoming chronic.
Additionally, relocating homeless individuals to locations like Lancaster, Apple Valley, and Hesperia which have available jobs, lower rents, and price of properties. This will help lower the density in the City of Los Angeles. Many would be willing to relocate. They need and want help, but they do not have the means to move and know the resources that are available in other areas of the state.
How will your activation engage Angelenos to make LA the best place to LIVE
Engaging Angelenos is not new. Our system of collaborative efforts will create a new way of looking at the "Live" issues in a new way can make the difference. Businesses and organizations compete for notice, an identity, but not for partnerships.
Our partnership is more about results that benefit all, the businesses, their customers who are veterans and Angelenos who are wealthy or less fortunate.
With the help of LA2050 results can be achieved: "Hosting public events" and "Communications support, including traditional media, social media, and LA2050 newsletter" will create greater awareness and more collaborative efforts.
Please explain how you will define and measure success for your activation.
Success will be measured by the number of collaborative efforts in workforce training, the numbers trained and retained in their job.
In San Diego County, the National Veterans Transition Services, Inc. has seen 95-97% success in job training and at least a 9-month retention of employment.
The number of additional individuals being housed in the currently available locations will lead to even more individuals to be housed.
Where do you hope this activation or your organization will be in five years?
In five years an additional 5,000 veterans will have received workforce training and will be employed or developed a profitable business.
Once implemented, this program has the potential to house 100s in LA. Moving able-bodied homeless Angelenos to locations where work and housing are available will decrease the density of the city's homeless population.