Safe Place for Youth

A quarter (25%) of youth who age out of the Los Angeles child welfare system enter homelessness within two years. Disrupting this 'system to street pipeline', SPY provides Emergency Housing and supportive services to those exiting foster care and other unhoused youth ages of 18-25, enabling them to swiftly, safely, and sustainably exit the streets. With housing and case management, education and employment assistance, clinical services, and life skills, we can prevent a future of chronic homelessness for youth and young adults in our city.

Safe Place for Youth's (SPY's) Healing Arts Program supports underrepresented youth-artists and entrepreneurs, largely from marginalized communities, who face barriers to housing, health, and employment. With weekly art workshops, music lessons, a digital arts lab, paid internships, on-the-job training, and access to e-commerce platforms, the Program ensures that youth experiencing homelessness develop the resources, skills, and partnerships they need to access and participate in the creative economy.

Using existing and ready-to-move in housing provided by PodShare’s co-living model, Safe Pods for Youth offers a low-cost and immediate solution to the youth homelessness crisis. Building off of SPY’s Host Home Program, which invites community volunteers to serve as short-term hosts for young people experiencing homelessness, Safe Pods for Youth galvanizes community sponsors to fund short-term pods for $28 a night. While living in pods, youth will work with SPY to find employment, enroll in school, and locate permanent housing.