Champions of Caring Connections’ Homeless Outreach and Engagement Program

Affordable housing and homelessness

South LA Long Beach

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

Los Angeles County is facing a homelessness crisis, prompting officials to declare a state of emergency lahsa.org. The 2023 homeless count tallied 75,518 people experiencing homelessness countywide – a 9% increase from the previous year. In South Los Angeles’ SPA 6 (which includes Compton), homelessness reached 14,598 people.
Older adults are at the heart of this emergency: adults 55 and older are the fastest-growing segment of L.A.’s homeless population. Between 2022 and 2023, the number of unhoused Angelenos age 55+ jumped 16%. Today roughly one in four people without homes in L.A. County is an older adult file.lacounty.gov. Most of these seniors remain unsheltered – living in cars, encampments, or other makeshift conditions – and nearly half lost housing for the first time after age 50 latimes.com. This alarming trend justifies the need for Champions of Caring Connections’ Resource & Navigation Center in Compton to connect vulnerable older adults with housing, support, and hope.

Champions of Caring Connections (CCC) operates a trusted Resource and Navigation Center in Compton that serves as a lifeline for individuals and families facing unsheltered homelessness. With an unwavering commitment to a “boots-on-the-ground” approach, CCC responds daily to emergency calls from schools, community members, and local agencies seeking immediate support for those in crisis. The Homeless Outreach and Engagement Program supported by this grant will prioritize older adults—the fastest-growing segment of Los Angeles County’s homeless population—many of whom are experiencing homelessness for the first time. CCC’s model is rooted in compassionate, proactive engagement, connecting people to shelter, benefits, medical care, and long-term housing resources. By providing real-time navigation, trauma-informed support, and system coordination, CCC transforms lives and restores hope. This grant will allow CCC to expand its reach, deepen its impact, and ensure that no older adult or family in SPA 6 or SPA 8 is left without access to the resources they need to survive and thrive.

If Champions of Caring Connections’ (CCC) Resource and Navigation Center’s “boots-on-the-ground” Homeless Outreach and Engagement Program succeeds, Los Angeles County—especially SPA 6—will see a transformative shift in how it supports its most vulnerable residents. Older adults experiencing unsheltered homelessness for the first time will no longer be left to navigate complex systems alone. Instead, they will be met where they are—on sidewalks, in vehicles, or behind storefronts—by trusted outreach workers ready to connect them to shelter, healthcare, benefits, and permanent housing. The success of this program will reduce the number of older adults living on the streets, improve health outcomes, and stabilize at-risk households before they fall into crisis. CCC envisions a community where timely intervention prevents chronic homelessness, where human dignity is preserved, and where systems work in tandem to respond with urgency and compassion.