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Hollywood 4WRD newsletter: 5-19-25

Hollywood 4WRD newsletters

May 19, 2025

Hollywood 4WRD newsletter: 5-19-25

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Building Belonging & Connection in Hollywood

When Chris Contreras, COO of Brilliant Corners, invited Hollywood 4WRD to join him and a group of his fellow Stanton Fellows for a deep dive discussion addressing homelessness in Hollywood, it was an offer we couldn't refuse. Especially considering the gathering would be hosted at The Center in Hollywood whose team would also be presenting that day.

The engaging, far-ranging conversation took place last Friday and offered the opportunity not only to connect with an impressive, inquisitive cohort of Fellows and their sponsors at the Durfee Foundation -- all nonprofit leaders themselves, but to be building a more expansive community in the process!

Among the many topics covered that day, we addressed several that we know are top of mind for our H4WRD community:

What’s working—and what’s hard right now
How we’re building belonging and connection
The power and complexity of coalition work
Where we’re headed—future ideas and direction

It was gratifying to share more about the mission of Hollywood 4WRD with a group who was eager to hear about the role we play in building community and collaboration in our efforts to end and prevent street homelessness in Hollywood. Despite its sprawl, Chris pointed out that Hollywood has a more closely knit community of providers than any other area in the County. A big part of H4WRD's efforts over the last two decades, however, has been engaging in that "knitting" process alongside not only our local providers, but with everyone impacted by homelessness in our community.

The group also appreciated hearing honest reflections about what’s challenging in this moment -- and how aware we are that many of the residents, business owners and providers H4WRD represents remain fearful and frustrated about the current state of Hollywood's homelessness efforts.

To Chris, his fellow Stanton Fellows, and the Durfee Foundation, we want to express gratitude for letting us share it all -- the good, the bad, and the deeply concerning.

To all the Hollywood 4WRD members reading this, we want to invite you to join this Tuesday's member meeting (5/20 from 2-3pm via zoom) to share your thoughts on what's working now AND what must change to better address the challenges of homelessness.

And to all non-members reading this, we invite you to consider joining H4WRD to be part of the expanding community conversations to come. As we shared at last week's Stanton Fellow discussion, your voice, your ideas, and your passion for ending and preventing homelessness in Hollywood will make us a stronger and more effective coalition for all!

New Resource Center Opening Soon in Hollywood

The new Hollywood Services Hub is scheduled to open this summer at Hollywood Adventist Church, and will provide housing navigation, resources, and expanded services to help unhoused residents move off the streets and into housing with the support they need to stay housed.

Please contact CD 13 with any questions and to learn how you can get involved.

Reserve your FREE tickets for the H20pen House on 6/4

If you haven't done so already, don't forget to sign up for your FREE tickets to the upcoming Hollywood 2.0pen House. This promises to be the most interactive H20 event yet! In addition to a Community Video project featuring reels from clients, members, providers and H20 leadership, the event will include:

Resource hub with H20 community partners: The Center, Anew Dawn, Heart Forward LA, Pacific Clinics, Fountain House Hollywood
A fun and meaningful collaborative mural project
An update on H20's latest development: Supportive Employment services!
Beverages and appetizers

(Scan the QR code above for more information and to reserve your tickets today!)

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES

Elizabeth R. Koch Foundation RFP for 2025

The Elizabeth R. Koch Foundation is dedicated to supporting the heroes of community care—people and organizations who show up for others in moments of need, transition, or hardship. To launch their giving, they are issuing this Request for Proposals (RFP) to award grants ranging from $25,000 to $50,000 to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations operating in Los Angeles County.

Eligible organizations must have a minimum annual budget of $250,000, with no maximum budget cap. Application deadline: June 1st, 2025. Please click here for more information or to apply.

LA County Updates/Resources

Update on the New LA County Department on Homelessness

As many of you know, the Board of Supervisors voted to establish a new County department dedicated to serving people who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. The County shared an update this week, explaining that the transition to the new department will happen in three phases: 

By April 28, 2025: DHS and CEO support HFH and HI in creating a joint administrative team with other relevant County entities. HI and HFH are working closely together to align and integrate work while concurrently developing the implementation plans for the administrative functions of the new County department.
By January 1, 2026: Complete the integration of CEO-HI and DHS- HFH and the development of the core administrative infrastructure to establish the new County department; and
By July 1, 2026: Complete the integration of specified County-funded programs and services currently administered by LAHSA into the new County department.

You can find out more about the plans for rolling out the new department on the Homeless Initiative's newly created website HERE. If you would like to receive ongoing communications about this transition, please complete this form.

Learn More about LA County's Homelessness-Related Bodies

The attached document enumerates the top-level leadership who sit on LA County’s leading governing bodies related to funding, goal setting and accountability, and operational strategies for reducing homelessness. Its contents include:

Publicly available documents and websites were used to compile this information, with hotlinks to applicable information.
The date shown for each entity shows when this information was last updated.
There are additional large funding sources whose oversight are not listed here, such as LA County’s allocation of the Mental Health Services Act funds (MHSA/Proposition 1) and LA Housing Department’s “United to House LA” program (ULA or “mansion tax”).
Many municipalities and council of governments have a task force and other public forums that address homelessness within their jurisdiction.

Many thanks to our partners at the South Bay Coalition to End Homeless for providing this valuable resource.

Community Updates/Events/Resources

CalAim Housing Support available through The Center

The Center in Hollywood is now offering CalAIM housing support services designed to help individuals experiencing homelessness achieve housing stability. CalAIM services include:

Assistance with application fees
Deposit and first month’s rent
Essential furniture items
Personalized case management

Eligibility Requirements:

Must be experiencing homelessness
Must be enrolled in LA County Medi-Cal (Health Net)
Must be employed or approved for a housing voucher

Download the flyer for more information. For intake or questions, please contact Melinda Garcia, The Center's CalAIM Intake Coordinator: (323) 943-0868

Mobile Clinics Serving Unhoused Neighbors/Clients

Please see above for Housing for Health's updated Mobile Clinic schedule. Download the flyer for their mobile clinics operating in SPA 4 through Thursday, May 29th:

Clinic Morning Operational Hours: 9:00am-11:30am
Lunch Time Closure: 11:30am-12:00pm
Clinic Afternoon Shift: 12:00pm-2:00pm

Curious about the clinic program or how to take advantage of this community resource? Contact Josh Scarcella (he/him), Regional Coordinator for SPA 4, to visit a tour site.

HoFoCo's Take Action for Mental Wellness event on 5/20

Hollywood Food Coalition is thrilled to partner with Take Action LA for a Wellness event being hosted on May 20th. Take Action LA, an initiative by CalMHSA, aims to increase awareness and access to mental health services, reduce the impact of mental illness on well-being, and combat stigma.

As a part of this initiative, HoFoCo will host a free community event centered on mental health and connection for our guests. The event will feature different activities such as yoga, a pottery table, free food trucks and so much more. There will also be local service providers on hand with tons of resources to share!

Please see flyer for more details. NOTE: This event can be found on the Hollywood 4WRD Community Calendar HERE.

Upcoming Webinar on Defending the Equal Access Rule

The Equal Access Rule ensures that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s housing programs are open to all eligible individuals and families, regardless of family composition, sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status. However, recent federal actions threaten these vital protections, creating burdens for providers and barriers for clients.

Come join the National Alliance to End Homelessness staff to better understand the contents and necessity of the Equal Access Rule and learn how you and your organization can make the case to preserve these universal protections. Register here for the webinar.

Clothing Donations

Volunteer Opportunities

St. Vincent Meals on Wheels Seeking Volunteers

St. Vincent Meals on Wheels is currently seeking volunteers for two of their programs:

Please download the attached flyers for more information and to share with those who might be interested.

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Las Palmas Senior Center Seeking Volunteers

As their Director shared at H4WRD's member meeting last month, Las Palmas Senior Center is seeking community volunteers with case/care management experience. They are currently looking for an organization to provide them with a case manager/care manager to visit a couple times a month to assist their members with social services.

Amongst the services and resources their members need, include:

Correspondence translation
Application assistance for housing
Transportation services
Federal/state/municipal assistance programs (MediCal, HEAP, IHSS, etc)
- Resource guidance
- Benefits review
- Form completion
Other miscellaneous work needed by our older adults.

Please contact Damon Hooks at damon.hooks@lacity.org for more information.

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Heart Forward LA Seeking Gardening Volunteers

Heart Forward LA has an opportunity available for community volunteers with experience and a fondness for gardening who would like to participate in their Radical Hospitality Initiative:

The Mark Twain interim housing community has a community garden and resident caretakers who would benefit from a volunteer's presence at least twice a month, preferably on Monday afternoons.

Please contact Evangeline Lee at evangeline.g.lee@gmail.com to explore this opportunity further!

Job Opportunities

Canopy Roots

Canopy Roots, which began operating in Hollywood on April 1st as the CIRCLE Program's contracted partner, currently has several positions remaining to fill (Click on all job titles below for more information and to apply):

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My Friend's Place

My Friend's Place currently has one open position to fill:

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
- The Associate Director of Communications is responsible for developing and executing a highly strategic, innovative, and collaborative communications plan to identify and engage critical community stakeholders who share a commitment to preventing and ending homelessness for youth and young adults.

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