The Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles announced Tuesday the awarding of three $200,000 General Community Grants to organizations committed to addressing homelessness and developing innovative solutions to it.
“Homelessness in Los Angeles has reached unprecedented level, with alarming double-digit (percentage) increases in the past year alone, and tens of thousands of individuals living without a roof over their heads each night,” foundation president and CEO Marvin Schotland said. “We recognize that homelessness is a large-scale, complex problem that requires the kind of bold thinking and innovative interventions reflected by this year’s General Community Grant recipients to whom we are proud to provide our support.”
The total $600,000 in grant funding is a 22 percent increase from last year, according to the foundation.
One of the grants was awarded to Brilliant Corners to support its motel conversion project, one of the first conversions authorized by the Interim Motel Conversion Ordinance approved by the Los Angeles City Council in 2018. Brilliant Corners will renovate a Mid-City motel and provide housing for dozens of individuals experiencing homelessness. The organization also plans to provide technical assistance to other housing providers, so hundreds more individuals can be housed.
“The foundation’s investment not only enables Brilliant Corners to convert a motel into 18 supportive housing units … but this could also provide proof of concept for a critically needed new pathway with the potential to end homelessness for hundreds of Angelenos,” said William Pickel, the CEO of Brilliant Corners.
The second grant went to LA Family Housing’s shared family interim housing project. During a two-year period, the organization plans to convert three houses in the San Fernando Valley into shared interim housing for homeless families.
According to the foundation, instead of using motel vouchers, the shared-housing model will place families in neighborhoods with access to schools, parks, supportive services and a community setting, which can help children coping with homelessness.
The final grant will support The People Concern’s permanent supportive housing project in South Los Angeles. The project will invest in a partnership between The People Concern and FlyawayHomes aimed at developing supportive housing by leveraging private investment and manufactured housing to reduce the cost and time it takes to put in place.
The organization will manage an additional two facilities within a year and potentially 10 to 15 facilities within two years, housing at least 300 homeless people, according to the foundation.