Innovative program will feature case management, enrichment workshops
Aviva Family and Children’s Services, along with Mayor Eric Garcetti and Councilman David Ryu, broke ground Thursday on construction of a new residential program that will provide bridge housing for young women experiencing homelessness.
The 42-room residential program received approximately $2.3 million in funding from HEAP by the Los Angeles City Council to provide direct assistance to address the homelessness crisis throughout California. Ryu, whose district includes the property on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Camino Palmero Street, submitted the funding motion that was approved in January by the full council.
“I’m honored to partner with Aviva Family and Children’s Services to bring bridge housing for transitional-aged youth to Hollywood,” Ryu said. “Aviva has a proven track record of serving the most vulnerable among us, and I am thrilled to have them join us in building holistic and comprehensive solutions to homelessness.”
Construction is expected to last five months and will focus on upgrades and renovations to the already existing property, including ADA compliant rooms and bathrooms, as well as building kitchenettes and lounges.
Set to open in July, the residence will also provide counseling, job-training and life skills to young women between the ages of 18 to 24 who are experiencing homelessness.
‘Housing and Healing’ Angelenos
“Very few organizations have as much experience running intensive residential programs for high-needs groups as Aviva. In fact, we got our start 104 years ago by housing young women who had nowhere else to live,” said Regina Bette, president and CEO. “Today we’re continuing our legacy of ‘housing and healing’ Angelenos, while addressing our community’s most dire need—homelessness.”
According to the most recent Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, 30 percent of Hollywood’s homeless are between the ages of 18 to 24, a population known as “transitional age youth,” and up to 40 percent of them have some experience with the foster system.
Garcetti also pointed out the unique challenges facing women. More than 90 percent of women on skid row have experienced sexual or domestic violence, and single mothers and senior women are far more likely to live in poverty than any other population, he said.
In the past four years, the city has housed more than 32,000 formerly homeless residents, and this recent effort by Aviva will contribute to the more than 200 units of supportive bridge housing being planned in Hollywood.
“The fight to end homelessness belongs to everyone,” Garcetti said. “We’re not slowing down, and certainly not here in Hollywood—our most famous neighborhood where people come to see LA. They come to see the beauty and the glamour, … but they also see the challenges and the tragedies that still exist on our streets.”
More Than a Home
The new residential program will build upon Aviva’s extensive experience working with at-risk populations while also extending its reach into the housing crisis.
“Aviva serves families and young people in crisis in Los Angeles,” said Genevieve Haines, board chair.
“Even though Aviva’s services are comprehensive, we can’t keep up with our clients’ housing needs in the LA market. With this home, we’re able to offer a more complete spectrum of care to young people aging out of the foster care system and on the brink of homelessness.”
The program’s target population of transitional-age female youth will include mothers and their children. Future residents will receive food, clothing, mental health services and comprehensive case management. They will also have access to educational resources, allowing them to enroll in college classes or complete a GED or an online learning program.
Through Aviva’s Family Resource Center, the women will have access to a wide range of independent-living skills, professional development and artistic self-expression opportunities.
A kitchen, beauty salon and apparel closet can also provide hands-on experience and internships to residents who have shown a professional interest in these fields.
The role this comprehensive approach can have on addressing homelessness is critical.
About Aviva:
For more than 100 years, Aviva Family and Children’s Services has provided an array of services to those in need, including mental health services to youth throughout the county, adoption services, guidance and resources to foster families and caregivers, multidisciplinary support teams for at-risk families, and a residential program. Aviva has operated a residential program from the current Hollywood location since 1955. For more information and the latest updates about the new residential program, visit aviva.org/house.