AV Palmdale Access Center

Affordable housing and homelessness

Antelope Valley

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

Valley Oasis is uniquely positioned to launch Palmdale’s first Homeless Access Center, an urgent response to a 43% CES funding cut that leaves thousands without critical support. As a trusted provider with deep community roots, we’ve long delivered trauma-informed care and crisis services across the Antelope Valley. This Center addresses the persistent lack of basic resources—showers, clean clothing, storage, hydration, pet care, and charging access—that are vital for health, dignity, and stability. Inadequate infrastructure deepens trauma and prevents access to housing, employment, and services through CES. With poverty and homelessness rising, the timing is critical. By investing in these foundational supports, we reduce harm, restore dignity, and increase engagement—laying the groundwork for long-term change for our unhoused neighbors.

This grant will support the AV Palmdale Access Center, a regionally significant effort to establish a trauma-informed, low-barrier hub that provides essential daily services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness in Northern Los Angeles County. The initiative addresses a critical gap in access to basic hygiene, storage, and health-supporting resources that are often prerequisites for housing readiness and service engagement.
Funds will be used to put in key infrastructure such as four showers and four toilets (including two ADA-compliant units of each) and one laundry hook-up, including s ecure personal lockers, a water refill station, charging stations for mobile devices, furniture for indoor and outdoor respite, and an ice machine to help clients cope with extreme temperatures. The inclusion of ADA-accessible fixtures ensures equitable access for individuals with disabilities. These resources will be made available in a safe environment designed to promote stability, dignity, and trust.
The Access Center will also function as a critical entry point into the Coordinated Entry System (CES), enabling individuals to access case management, housing navigation, and wraparound support services. By integrating infrastructure with client-centered services, this initiative supports a continuum of care that prioritizes both immediate relief and long-term housing solutions. It represents a strategic investment in regional equity, public health, and sustainable impact.

Approval of this grant will significantly improve how Los Angeles County, particularly the Antelope Valley, addresses the daily realities of homelessness. The project will establish a centralized, trauma-informed access point where individuals and families can meet essential needs such as hygiene, clean clothing, hydration, safe storage, pet care, and respite. By offering these services in a low-barrier, client-centered environment, the center will foster trust, reduce service resistance, and improve access to housing pathways through the Coordinated Entry System. It will also help relieve pressure on emergency systems, such as hospitals and law enforcement, by providing community-based alternatives that address root causes. Beyond immediate impact, the center will serve as a scalable model for regional service hubs, demonstrating that with targeted investment, dignity, stability, and recovery are possible for every community member, regardless of housing status.