Driving Innovative Housing & Houselessness Solutions through Leadership Development

Affordable housing and homelessness

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

The housing crisis in Los Angeles County is a multifaceted issue that manifests as chronic houselessness, inadequate affordable housing, and systemic barriers to stable living conditions. This crisis disproportionately impacts low-income residents, marginalized communities, and those facing economic instability. Individuals and families are forced into unsafe living conditions or houselessness, exacerbating health issues, disrupting education, and diminishing overall quality of life. Addressing this issue is crucial now due to escalating housing costs, increased displacement, and the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which have intensified vulnerabilities. Los Angeles County has one of the highest houselessness rates in the U.S., with over 75,000 people living without stable housing. Immediate action is needed to prevent further deterioration of living conditions and to foster community resilience.

Leadership development is crucial for solving the housing crisis, as it fosters enduring change rather than temporary fixes. While immediate relief is necessary, it often fails to address the root causes and systemic barriers of houselessness and housing instability. By developing leaders equipped to navigate these complexities, Coro’s Housing & Houselessness Leadership Network (HHLN) ensures sustainable and transformative solutions. HHLN graduates become skilled at creating policies and programs that provide immediate assistance while paving the way for long-term stability and equity in housing. They are trained to collaborate across sectors, leveraging diverse perspectives and resources to design innovative, inclusive solutions. The focus on DEIB ensures leaders understand and address the unique challenges faced by marginalized populations, fostering an inclusive problem-solving approach. Graduates lead initiatives that bridge gaps between current policies and community needs, working towards preventing houselessness, increasing affordable housing, and creating resilient communities. This holistic approach ensures impactful and sustainable changes, leading to a healthier, more equitable future for all residents. By fostering transformative leadership, HHLN aims to create a ripple effect of positive change, with alumni leading the way towards innovative, inclusive solutions to the housing crisis.

Through immersive programming, experienced facilitators, silo breaking, and promoting cross-sectoral partnerships, HHLN will cultivate a generation of leaders equipped to innovate sustainable solutions to the housing crisis. HHLN has the potential to transform Los Angeles County by empowering leaders to become agents of change and innovation to create a more resilient Los Angeles where everyone has access to safe, stable, and affordable housing.
HHLN will expand its impact by including additional modules that address emerging trends and challenges in housing and houselessness, and actively strengthen partnerships with a diverse array of stakeholders, including government agencies, non-profits, private companies, and academic institutions to leverage a broader range of resources, expertise, and networks to amplify its impact. By continuously updating and enhancing the curriculum, HHLN will ensure that leaders are equipped with the latest knowledge and skills to drive impactful change.

Coro seeks the following outcomes in participants:
Acquire the leadership skills and a cross-sectoral network necessary to advance their capacity to ignite action and impact within their organizations and across the region to better provide houselessness solutions and services
Enhance their knowledge of the houselessness challenges and solutions, (and the systems in which those challenges and solutions lie), by learning from their peers within the cohort and across the housing and houselessness space
Impact is measured through post-program surveys, past cohort data showed:
92% of participants improved their ability to read the nuances within current housing & houselessness challenges facing Greater Los Angeles (2024)
83% enhanced their capacity to more effectively drive impact within the communities they serve (2023)
80% enhanced their confidence and ability to affect positive change (2024)
77% increased their confidence and ability to drive innovative solutions (2023 & 2024)