Improving Our Ability to Heal

Mental health

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

There is no limit to what we want for the young people we work for who are experiencing homelessness and the profound traumas that accompany it. Their pathways to homelessness were also mired in trauma, domestic violence, foster care system involvement, physical and sexual abuse, and, perhaps most disappointingly, a complete absence of adults who provide support, encouragement, and love without the expectation of something in return.
There is a price to this trauma, and it’s complex. Trauma, homelessness, and poverty form a Venn diagram that results in a lack of opportunity, frequent moves from institution to institution, the development of maladaptive coping mechanisms, and, as is the primary subject of this project, mental illness. Our work with youth has shown that we can overcome traumas and that work begins with simple, straightforward therapy that builds a human connection. The issue we want to address is that we KNOW we can do more for youth by increasing therapy volume.

This project will address the issue by providing MSW interns with a stipend for the three months they are out of session at school so they can continue working with young people at our shelter program in Hollywood throughout the year. Consistency is crucial, especially for young, developing minds. The young people we work for (age 18-24) have been consistently wronged on their journeys to this point, missing schooling opportunities and the organic support that helps young people develop their inherent strengths. They have also repeatedly seen the people who were in positions to help them quit.
Some things make our work for young people unique in this field; our services are rooted in the voices and preferences of those we serve. More than 58% of our staff have lived experience with the traumas that accompany homelessness and homelessness itself. The common thread of feedback we receive from people who have survived the uncertainty and injustice of homelessness is that we must not ‘give up’ on young people. A three-month break in therapy or simply replacing one therapist with another has the look and feel of giving up. This project will pay for three MSW interns to continue their internships at our shelter through the summer months. They will work in concert with young people's case managers and education/employment counselors to provide a cohesive, empowering, upwardly mobile experience.

As a community whose respect for the diversity of experiences, challenges, successes, and strengths is likely the only clarity we have on an issue so complex as the current climate of homelessness, poverty, and trauma, we place intrinsic value on every NEW perspective and voice. L.A. County will be different when this work is successful because 480 young people each year can receive therapy on-site during the summer when their mental health services are typically arranged by their case managers off-site. The benefit of healing, processing trauma, and developing strengths cannot be over-emphasized; these young people are entering L.A. County's workforces, enrolling in its continuing education opportunities, volunteering with our nonprofit organizations, starting families, and, most importantly, enriching the viewpoints that come from lived experience and that will ultimately be the reason we make L.A. County a better place to live by 2050.

As it pertains to our overall services, we measure the success of our programs by evaluating each young person in terms of their progress (evidentiary and by self-report) in five domains: 1) Increased social-emotional well-being, 2) Stably housed, 3) Employment, 4) Education, and 5) Social connectivity. As it pertains specifically to the benefits young people see from individual and group therapy—or at least whether it contributes to their outcomes—we measure success using our Social & Emotional Well-Being Wellness and Resilience Questionnaire tool. This interview is conducted at the shelter's intake, at 30-day intervals, and finally, at the point of their transition to safe and stable destinations. Due to the increased access to therapy, we expect that at least 50% of our young people will increase their wellness scores at the point of their transition to safe and stable destinations.