This is Forward: Telling Our Collective Hollywood Story

Thanks, in part, to the new grant from CHCF, Hollywood 4WRD is kicking off something many in Hollywood have wanted to do for a long time: tell our collective story.

We know something big is happening in Hollywood. We see it in the data. We feel it every day. And sometimes, we experience it in acute moments, like the way our community came together during the Sunset Fire last January. We know that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

But what really is the “Hollywood effect”?

Earlier this month, we convened the first in a series of conversations with Hollywood providers to begin mapping the many ways this work shows up every day. What emerged was pretty inspiring. As you can see in the photos above, the breadth of care and coordination across the network is impressive.

As a starting point, much of the work clusters around a few shared human dimensions: People — relationships, community, and mutual care; Place — safe spaces, housing, and places to belong; and Purpose — education, employment, leadership, and contribution. Underneath it all are the essential physiological needs that make everything else possible: food, safety, healthcare, harm reduction, and basic stability.

This was only a first pass. There is far more happening than we could capture in a single conversation, and many more voices to bring in. But this initial gathering helped give shape to something we’ve long known intuitively: Hollywood’s impact comes from connection — from a network that shows up, adapts, and responds together.

We look forward to continuing this work and sharing more of the Hollywood story in the months ahead. We can't wait to hear from YOU!

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