Rebuilding Lives, Creating Opportunities for Women

Housing and Homelessness

East LA

Expand existing project, program, or initiative

Los Angeles House of Ruth is located in the area with the highest number of homeless persons in Los Angeles County. While L.A. has long been known for the unpopular distinction of being a city with one of the largest homeless populations in the nation, the shelter options are also lacking. We fear that with the current high levels of poverty, inflation, and increase in abuse cases, the number of homeless, abused women in Los Angeles County will continue to increase in the coming years. One hundred percent of those we serve live below the federal poverty level. Our program takes in women - including pregnant women, large fatherless families, non-English speaking mothers, and women - who have been turned away by others, lack access to income or supportive families, and women who are not always eligible for emergency human services. The issue we are addressing is to meet the needs of this most vulnerable population in Los Angeles and fill the service gap.

This grant would support an expansion of our Crisis Shelter Program to a new location at Angel's Project in East Los Angeles location that has been secured which would focus on safely resolving the episodes of homelessness and reducing recidivism for an additional 60 homeless, abused women and children each year. We will help fill the gap by providing beds and meeting the needs of those homeless domestic violence victims and single mothers with children who need safe shelter, permanent housing and healthcare services. This program will allow us to expand our ongoing successful supportive service model that has over 40 years of success in ending the cycle of domestic violence and finding permanent housing for these families. This includes: an environment of safety, a solid security plan in place for the physical safety of the families; on-site crisis intervention; adequate therapeutic support; their housing search outside of the geographic vulnerable area where the abuser resides. We take a comprehensive approach and also provide public benefits advocacy, job training, childcare, goal setting, crisis intervention, counseling, budgeting, and permanent housing placement. We support our mission by taking every step possible to ensure the well-being of our clients and help them achieve freedom and control over their own lives that gives them a sense of dignity and hope for the future for themselves and their children.

LAHR benefits the LA community by addressing the issue area of LIVE: Affordable Housing and Homelessness. Our vision is to expand our program to resolve homelessness for a greater number of vulnerable women and children. Our trauma informed program serves families who are in emergency shelters, on the street, living in cars, encampments, or other public places. The families are devastated by poverty, domestic violence, lack of family support, poor education, and lack of medical care. Our staff ensures they receive the care they need, and our services offer the structure necessary to become self-sufficient. 90% of our clients transition into permanent shelter within 2 years. Our Aftercare Program assures our 95% success rate in keeping families housed by helping them if issues arise. Our vision is to also purchase and add additional safe permanent housing options in the area where families can live providing the full circle of benefits from intake into homes of their own.

To measure impact for this expansion program, all mothers complete an individual and family assessment before they leave our program. After a family moves into permanent housing, we maintain contact with them to monitor their success over time. This is achieved through a simple survey that Case Managers distribute to all past clients every six months. The survey tracks information such as whether the client is still living in permanent housing, out of debt, employed, and maintaining positive relationships with their landlord and other tenants. We continue to offer support, for as long as needed, with items like utility bills, rent, medical referrals, mental health counseling, etc. Outcomes are measured by keeping track of the numbers we serve, women who successfully attain and keep their jobs, sustain permanent housing, maintain positive relationships with their family and with landlords, enroll in vocational or education programs, and become self-sufficient of any public benefits.