Spring 2011 - Skid Row Housing Trust

The Trust News
skid row housing trust [ Homes. Support. Success. ]
Inside
After a long, cold and
rainy winter, Nay Nay left
her spot under a Santa
Monica freeway onramp
to move into an apartment
at the Trust’s Charles
Cobb Apartments.
On page 3
Dear Friends and Supporters,
We share a lot of stories about the
transformative power of having one’s own
home. We also talk extensively about
the importance of onsite treatment and
services to help our residents overcome the
causes of homelessness. The stories that
sometimes get lost though, are the ones
about the incredible efforts taken every day
to help build a stronger sense of community
within our apartment buildings. Many of
those efforts are led by dedicated and
determined volunteers.
Recently, two very special efforts were
undertaken to help Trust residents rebuild
their lives. Last month, volunteers from the
Ur-Bin Garden
Network began
working with
residents at the
Charles Cobb
Apartments
to develop an
edible garden on the Cobb’s roof.
The Ur-Bin Garden Network is a
group of volunteers dedicated to installing
community gardens of all shapes and sizes
throughout Downtown Los Angeles and
The Trust News Spring 2011
bringing neighbors together in the process.
The amazing volunteers from Ur-Bin are
teaching residents at the Cobb to grow
everything from strawberries to squash.
You can follow the garden’s progress
and see what foods we have harvested
through the Trust’s Facebook page.
Committed volunteers also helped turn
a vision into a reality through a recent effort
called the “Dish Depot.” Last fall, our good
friends at Heath Ceramics suggested that
they could collect some dishes for Trust
residents by offering a promotion, wherein
their customers would receive 25% off their
purchase if they donated gently used dishes
to the Trust. We were overwhelmed when
a month later Heath delivered over 4,000
dishes to us!
Volunteers, including Heath employees,
came together to distribute the dishes
to residents through the Dish Depot. A
total of 138 Trust residents participated
in the Depot. Each resident was given the
opportunity to pick up to 18 pieces from a
selection of bowls, plates, mugs, glasses,
vases and a variety of decorative items.
Having enough dishes, and matching dishes
at that, allows residents to both enjoy their
homes individually and entertain neighbors,
friends, and family.
While it is
an amazing
experience to
see a resident
sign a lease and
receive a key to
an apartment,
thus ending a
stage in their life
of homelessness, we know that move-in
day is just one step in a long journey. The
“Success” in “Homes. Support. Success.”
is actually living a meaningful, rich and
fulfilling life. It is opportunities, like the
chance to grow your own vegetables or
proudly entertain in your own home, that
characterize that success. We are indebted
to the many men and women who volunteer
their time to bring those opportunities to
Skid Row Housing Trust and our residents.
Sincerely,
Mike Alvidrez
1317 EAST SEVENTH STREET LOS ANGELES, CA 90021 213 683-0522 PAGE 1
Invest In Our Future
You can learn more by taking a tour.
You can get involved by becoming a
volunteer. You can become a partner
by giving. Activate your ability to
change homelessness by getting
involved with the Trust today.
Invest
Give
Return the attached envelope
with a generous monetary social
investment in the Trust’s proven
solutions to homelessness.
Development Corner
United Way
In Construction
The New Genesis Apartments have now
reached 35% construction completion. The
New Genesis Apartments are an example of
the Trust’s efforts to transform our early
housing sites into more effective permanent
supportive housing. The New Genesis
development replaces the 30-unit single
room occupancy Genesis Hotel with a
beautiful, new 106-unit apartment building,
serving a mixed-income population ranging
from formerly homeless men and women to
working artists. Designed by Killefer Flammang Architects (www. kfarchitects.com),
the new building will be LEED Platinum and
includes ground floor retail. The New
Genesis is scheduled to open in March 2012.
In Development
The Star Apartments (above) has received
critical funding commitments from the
Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles
and the Los Angeles Housing Department. In
March, the Trust submitted an application for
the Low Income Housing Tax Credits, the
last piece of capital funding needed to start
construction. If the Star receives tax credits
the development will be on schedule to break
ground before the end of 2011! The Star is
the Trust’s latest collaboration with Michael
Maltzan Architecture (www. mmaltzan.com).
The mixed-use complex will have first floor
retail spaces with 102 brand new apartments
for a mixed-income population. The Star
Apartments continues the Trust’s tradition of
inspired architecture utilized to transform
lives and communities.
PAGE 2 The Trust News Participate in your employer’s
United Way Campaign
Make a Matching Gift
Visit Us
Experience permanent supportive
housing firsthand by attending a tour.
The Trust is now hosting monthly
tours of the Abbey Apartments
and the New Carver Apartments.
Come and see how we are solving
homelessness – every day.
To attend our next monthly tour or
to schedule a future visit, email
molly@skidrow.org, call (213) 6830522 x122 or visit the website at
www.skidrow.org.
The Abbey Apartments
The dates for the Spring/Summer
tours are April 6th, May 4th, June 1st
and July 6th at 11:00 am.
The New Carver Apartments
Tours are scheduled for April 19th,
May 17th, June 21st and July 19th
at 4:00 pm.
Many corporations will match
your gift to the Trust. Contact our
fund development director to find
out if your company has a gift
matching program.
Get Involved
Tour
Take a tour and learn more about
permanent supportive housing.
Volunteer
Volunteer your expertise in tax
preparation, art, music or cooking
and provide needed services
to residents.
Facebook/Twitter
Connect to the Trust on Facebook
and don’t forget to ‘like’ our page.
www.facebook.com/pages/SkidRow-Housing-Trust and follow
SkidRowOrg on Twitter.
For more information, contact L. Renee Smith, Fund Development
Director at renee@skidrow.org or call 213-683-0522 x 139.
In the Charles Cobb: Nay Nay
Nay Nay is the first resident
to receive a home provided
by the Trust through the new
Prioritization Project.* This
program will assist the most
vulnerable men and women
on the streets to secure
and sustain permanent
supportive housing provided
by the Trust.
Nay Nay says that if it was not for the
support provided by the Trust and our
community partners through the Prioritization
Project, she would still be on the street today.
“I wasn’t looking for any help,” Nay Nay
admits. “I felt like I was doing okay, but deep
down I really wasn’t.”
Before moving to the Cobb Apartments,
Nay Nay had been homeless for 10 years,
sleeping in trucks, cars, parks and anywhere
else she could find. She survived on meager
cash aid provided by LA County’s General
Relief (GR) program. Nay Nay has survived on
GR aid for more than 30 years, despite the
program’s intent to provide temporary
assistance. When she would get sick, she
would go to the ER for medical care.
“At first I didn’t even think about it [being
homeless],” Nay Nay said. “I just took it one
day at a time.”
Months before moving into the Cobb, Nay
Nay came down to Los Angeles from Acton,
CA. She had been receiving treatment at the
Acton Rehabilitation Center and then lived at
a sober living program for drug and alcohol
treatment. Nay Nay has been battling alcohol
addiction since she first experienced alcohol
at 12 years old. An altercation with another
client at the sober living program resulted in
Nay Nay leaving the program.
Once she reached Los Angeles, Nay
Nay’s sister Dee Dee helped her reunite with
her younger brother, Andre. Andre had
recently moved into the Trust’s New Carver
Apartments after overcoming his own bout
with homelessness.
That night, she stayed in Andre’s
apartment at the Carver. He asked her if she
PAGE 3 The Trust News Nay Nay hugs her brother Andre as she
celebrates moving into the first apartment
of her very own.
would be willing to stay nearby so that he
could try to help her. The next day, Nay Nay
set up to live underneath the freeway
overpass, across from the Carver, where she
would come to stay for the next several months.
Andre believed that if Nay Nay just stayed
close, something good would happen for her.
“I was tired of sleeping under the
freeway,” said Nay Nay.
The breakthrough that led to Nay Nay
being able to break 10 years of homelessness
came at the New Carver Block Party, in
October of last year. “At the time of the block
party, I just wanted a bed, but I didn’t want to
enter no program.” Nay Nay said.
In planning for the block party, Carver
Apartments’ residents asked that representatives
of the Trust be on-hand to help guests who
were still homeless. Carver residents
expressed that they felt fortunate for the
homes and support they had received and
wanted to share those same blessings with
others less fortunate than themselves.
Because of that suggestion Trust staff
were ready to connect with party guests such
as Nay Nay, who was still at her post
underneath the 10 Freeway. Nay Nay was able
to meet a number of individuals who work for
the Trust, including Raymond Fuentes, the
Trust’s Leasing Supervisor. Raymond walked
her through the process of completing an
initial application during the block party. Nay Nay said that if these staff members
had not helped her through the process, she
would have never applied for a home with the
Trust. Because of the Trust’s partnership with
Common Ground, a community partner on
the Prioritization Project, Nay Nay was
connected to Common Ground’s Street-toHome team. They helped Nay Nay get an ID,
attend appointments, and complete the
paperwork required to qualify for a home at
the Cobb. “All the support and people – everyone
was behind me,” Nay Nay said. “People
were more happy [for me] than I was for
myself.”
In January, Nay Nay walked into her
apartment at the Cobb. While she admits that
it was initially frightening, she said that she
had never been so happy in her life.
Today, Nay Nay is in the process of
adjusting to having her own place, and she
has a lot of support. She meets with
Francisco, her case manager, every Monday
morning and she attends a wide variety of
activities, such as the weekly gardening club
(see page 1). She also said she has been
getting to know her neighbors better. “I
wouldn’t give it up for nothing,” Nay Nay
said. “I don’t want to go back there.”
At 49 years old, she is experiencing
having a place of her own for the first time. As
she enjoys her first apartment, Nay Nay feels
confident that her time on the streets is over
thanks to the help and support of staff at the
Trust and our partners.
Today, from the comfort of her warm
apartment, she can watch as the cold winter
rain relentlessly pelts her window. “I don’t
even go outside when it rains now,” she says.
*The Prioritization Project is made possible through a generous grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. The Project seeks to place 240 of the most vulnerable men and women living on
the streets of Skid Row in permanent supportive housing provided by Skid Row Housing Trust over the next three years.
Thanks to the generosity of our
contributors. Last year the Trust
continued to make progress towards
ending homelessness.
Our success comes from an
entrepreneurial drive to develop new
beautiful homes, complete with onsite
treatment facilities and services to
help our residents regain their health,
stability and dignity. We recognize
and thank these investors for their
commitment to transforming the
lives of others.
Thank You!
Contributor List
January 1, 2010 – March 25, 2011
Frank and Lucy Alvidrez
Mike Alvidrez
Anthony Anderson
Jeff Andrews and Raymond Wesley
David Armitage
Mr. and Mrs. Guilford Babcock
Oliver Baker
David and Catherine Barrad
Judy Berg
Binney, Chase & Van Horne Insurance Brokers
Elizabeth and Victor Boyce
Jill Brooks-Garnett
William Bryan
Siobhan Burke
Michael Cahill
California Community Foundation
California Community Foundation in honor of Kathryn Gonnerman
Citi
Robert Benavidez
Robert Carlson
Jo-Anne Cohen
Community Bank
Stephen and Madeline Contopulos
Chad and Christina Conwell
Frank A. and Jennifer L. Dolce
Jay R. Deuby
Bradley and Grace Ellis
Kathryn Gonnerman and Darell Tibbles
William D. Ellis
Ellyn Johnson
Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco
Edward Felman
PAGE 4 The Trust News Anne Finucane
Christine Sisley
Bruce and Kari Fraser
Suzanne Furst
Edward and Brooke Larsen Garlock
Daniel Gehman in honor of TCA Los Angeles
Michael Glazer
Carol Goldstein
Paul Grossman
Patrick Haden
Kristin Hall
Rev. Richard C. Hall, Ph.D.
Adam Handler
Richard and Arlene Havel
Adele M. Hayutin in honor of Marc Hayutin
Marc Hayutin
Fernando Zepeda
Curtis Hessler
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
Bruce Hirsch
Tyler V. Jackson
Admas Kanyagia
Michael C. and Sharon S. Kelley
Juan Kivotos
Moshe and Arlene Kupietzky
Glynis Laing
Joseph P. and Amy P. Lally
Daniel M. Leibsohn
Thomas P. Mc Guire
Cheryl Lamm
George M. and Terisa C. Means
Donna Miller
Robert and Gail Miller
N.I.C. Protection, Inc.
Peter Ostroff and Anne Young
Michael L. and E. Bolivar Owen
Jeremy Rosenthal
Howard and Terry Rubinroit
Candy Rupp and Jack Gardner
Molly Rysman
Joel Samuels
Witney Sander
Jeff and Reina Schaffer
Ronie Schmelz
Allison Schulnik in memory of Bonjunnie Comostales
Mary Ellen Shay
Robert S. Shriver, III
Renee and Nathan Smith
Greg Spiegel
Patrick D. Spillane
TSP Project Management
Edward Stabler
Star Scrap Metal Co., Inc.
George E. and Gretel G. Stephens
Ms. Connie Sullivan
Sherman and Marjorie Telleen
Paul D. Tripodi II
Michael Sullo Turner
United Way of Capital Region
United Way of Greater Los Angeles
United Way of Metropolitan Dallas
Robert and Carolyn Volk
Ted Von Der Ahe, Jr. Trust
Paul and Elizabeth Walker
Glenn Wasserman and Allyne Winderman
Wells Fargo Bank
Robert Wycoff
Joyce Zaitlin
In-Kind Contributors
Shaun Barber
Binney, Chase & Van Horne Insurance Brokers
Joshua Cozine
Bill Davies
Burt Dragotis
Steven Eddy
Erik Feig
David Garrett
Ramona Garrett, Family and Friends
Danny Gibson-Weinberger and William Weinberger
Carol Goldstein
Stuart Gottesman
Cheryl and Bob Haywood
Heath Ceramics
Vanessa Joyce
Patricia Laucella
Cyndy Martinez
Rent-a-Crate
Felix Rivera
Susan Rosen, Inc.
LA Live Lucky Strike
LA Live Trader Vic’s
Karen McMahon
Shelter Partnership
Every effort has been made to insure the
accuracy of this list. However if you find that
your name has been misspelled, omitted, or
listed incorrectly, please let us know so that
corrections can be made immediately.
Policy Corner: The Prioritization Project
Permanent supportive housing is a precious
resource. And sadly, it can take upwards of
five years and millions of dollars, to bring a
new permanent supportive housing
development online. Here at the Trust, we
believe that it is our duty to ensure, to the best
of our ability, that we reach the men and women
most in need of permanent supportive housing.
So, with the generous support of the
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, the Trust launched
the Prioritization Project this year.
The Prioritization Project is one of the first
programs in Los Angeles to establish a leasing
preference for the most vulnerable men and
women on the streets. Skid Row Housing Trust
has partnered with Common Ground Institute,
JWCH Institute, Lamp Community and New
Image Emergency Shelter to identify men and
women experiencing homelessness with the
highest mortality risks. These individuals will
be prioritized for placement into the Trust’s
permanent supportive housing.
Why are we doing this? On any given
night in Los Angeles County, 48,000 men,
women and children are homeless. The vast
majority of them will be homeless less than
two months, since most people only
experience homelessness for a brief period
before getting back on their feet. However,
25% or 12,000 of these individuals are
classified as chronically homeless.
In 2009, the Economic Roundtable
released the study “Where We Sleep: Costs
When Homeless and Housed in Los Angeles.”
The study analyzed the annual cost of services
provided to 9,186 homeless General Relief
recipients. [General Relief (GR) is a Los
To read the Economic Roundtable’s
full study Where We Sleep: Costs
when Homeless and Housed in Los
Angeles, visit www.economicrt.org.
Figure 4
Average Monthly Costs by Decile for Homeless GR Recipients – 2008 dollars
$9,000
$8,083
$8,000
Probation
Sheriff mental health jail
Sheriff medical jail
$7,000
Sheriff general jail
$6,000
LAHSA homeless services
GR Housing Vouchers
$5,000
DPSS General Relief
DPSS Food Stamps
$4,000
Paramedics
Public Health
$3,000
Mental Health
Private hospitals-ER
$1,949
$2,000
Health Srv - ER
$1,446
Health Srv outpatient clinic
$1,103
$1,000
$259
$602
$447 $500
$344 $397
$784
Private hospitals-inpatient
Health Srv hospital-inpatient
Highest Decile
Ninth Decile
Eighth Decile
Seventh Decile
Fifth Decile
Sixth Decile
Fourth Decile
Third Decile
Second Decile
AVERAGE
Lowest Decile
$0
Source: 9,186 homeless General Relief recipients in Los Angeles County
*Provided courtesy of the Economic Roundtable
The Trust News PAGE 5
Angeles County program that provides
temporary cash aid to indigent single adults
without children.]
The study showed the average annual
cost of homelessness to taxpayers was
$34,764 for every homeless and disabled
individual. But, that figure does not represent
the majority of people on the streets. The first
40% of those studied were averaging less
than $6,000 per person – annually in public
services. In contrast, the top 10% of them
used a staggering $96,996 per person –
annually in public services. Most, if not all, of
the men and women in that top bracket were
chronically homeless. These individuals were
spending a disproportionate amount of their
time seeking healthcare from paramedics,
emergency rooms and local hospitals –
because there is no other way for them to
receive care.
The Trust began formally targeting the
chronically homeless in 2004 with the opening
of the St. George Hotel.
While the Trust has always encouraged
chronically homeless individuals to rent from
us, our leasing activities were based on a
first-come, first-served model. Basically, once
the leasing paperwork was completed, they were
placed on a waiting list in the order received.
On the surface, this seemed fair – the
Trust was not employing any bias to allocate
available housing – but once the Trust targeted
the St. George to men and women experiencing
chronic homelessness, it became clear that
they were at a distinct disadvantage in
accessing housing.
Completing the necessary paperwork to
access housing subsidized by the Housing
Authority can be quite difficult. The process
can take months, or in extreme cases, years.
It requires government issued identification
(a huge hurdle for many chronically homeless
individuals), third-party certifications from
clinicians and homeless service organizations,
showing up to multiple appointments and a lot
of follow through and leg work. Most men and
women experiencing chronic homelessness
are too busy worrying about where they are
going to sleep, where their next meal is going
to come from and whether their possessions
are safe on a day to day basis, to even
consider starting the long process of applying
for housing.
Since the opening of the St. George in
2004, the Trust has dedicated over 400 of the
Continued on page 6.
Continued from page 5.
Welcome Home!
Skid Row Housing Trust recently launched the Welcome Home!
Initiative. The Trust invites individuals and groups to build Welcome
Home! Kits for new residents making the transition from the streets
into a home. The kits include a variety of household goods needed to
transform an apartment into a true home.
This is a great project for groups! If you are looking for ways to
teach your children about solving homelessness, or get your church
involved in solutions, or you simply want to show how much you care,
consider building a Welcome Home! Kit.
Make an immediate difference in someone’s life now.
For more information, contact L. Renee Smith, Fund Development
Director for the Trust, at 213-683-0522 ext 139 or renee@skidrow.org.
Skid Row Housing Trust’s philosophy is simple: Homes + Support = Success
The Trust solves homelessness by developing, managing and maintaining permanent supportive housing. The Trust provides
HOMES for the most vulnerable homeless men and women on
the streets. The Trust ensures that our residents have access to
the critical SUPPORT services needed to achieve stability, good
health, and dignity. The Trust ensures SUCCESS by reducing
homelessness through opportunity for our residents and better
neighborhoods for our communities.
Skid Row Housing Trust is a 501c(3) organization to which contributions
are tax-deductible. | Skid Row Housing Trust, 1317 E. 7th Street,
Los Angeles, CA 90021 (213) 683-0522 www.skidrow.org
PAGE 6 The Trust News Board of Directors
Marc Hayutin
Curtis Hessler
Patrick Spillane
David Armitage
Robert E. Carlson
Carol Goldstein
Paul Gregerson
Adam Handler
Dan Leibsohn
Itohan Oyamendan
Candy Rupp
apartments we have brought online to chronically
homeless men and women. But even with the
adjusted leasing criteria we noticed that the
most vulnerable men and women were still
unable to overcome the first-come, first-served
leasing process.
This fact was made clear when the Trust
partnered with Los Angeles County on the
Project 50 program in 2008. Project 50 was the
first program in Los Angeles to prioritize
individuals identified with Common Ground’s
Vulnerability Index for placement in permanent
supportive housing. The men and women
served through Project 50 were provided with
extensive outreach and housing placement
assistance. Program staff obtained identification
documents for program participants, transported
participants to appointments, and provided
much needed support and encouragement
during the arduous application process.
The result? Men and women, who had
spent 10, 20, and even 30 years on the streets,
ended their homelessness. We would never
have been able to help these men and women
under the first-come, first-served system or a
lottery leasing system.
This leads us back to the Economic
Roundtable’s study and the discovery that 10%
of homeless GR recipients are responsible for
close to $100,000 per person annually in public
service costs. L.A. County estimates that it’s
spending more than $875 million a year in tax
payer dollars on homelessness. In effect, L.A. is
attempting to manage profound illnesses on the
streets, and the men and women in the
Economic Roundtable’s top 10% are driving a
huge portion of that cost. However, the real crime is the outcome of
those dollars – death on the streets. Research
from across the country shows that without
housing these same men and women are
extremely likely to die on the streets despite the
incredible sums of money spent on emergency
care, detox, jails, etc.
With the Prioritization Project, Skid Row
Housing Trust seeks to reverse this trend. We
seek to provide these same men and women
with the opportunity to manage their illnesses
from the comfort of a home of their own. A
home allows people to move beyond thinking
about day-to-day survival, and rebuild selfesteem, relationships and a rich life. And while
death is inevitable, we hope that the men and
women we serve will lead longer, comfortable,
and more fulfilling lives once off the streets.