LA Coalition to End Youth

Homelessness
December 9, 2015
Mayor Eric Garcetti
Los Angeles City Hall
200 N. Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Dear Mayor Garcetti:
On behalf of the LA Coalition to End Youth Homelessness (LACEYH), we applaud your bold step in
declaring a State of Emergency on homelessness in Los Angeles, and your pledge to invest $100M
to combat this growing crisis. LACEYH is a countywide collaborative body of over 200 members
dedicated to ending youth homelessness, with representatives from all eight Service Planning
Areas, including service providers, members of the faith community, youth, policymakers, funders
and other community stakeholders. As a collective, we strongly urge the City of Los Angeles to
allocate a portion of these funds specifically to address the unique needs of the distressingly large
number of young people experiencing homelessness in the city.
In January 2015, the Greater Los Angeles Youth Count found that there are 6,150 youth, and young
adults experiencing homelessness throughout Los Angeles County, a number that we know
underestimates the actual number of youth and young adults in our shelters and on the streets. In
response, LACEYH service providers engage in countless hours of outreach and direct service to
homeless youth throughout Los Angeles. However, the need for services outweighs the current
availability of resources dedicated to homeless youth and young adults, and additional support is
needed to provide a critical safety net so they can access services at any point of the day and night.
The recent state of emergency declared by both the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County
notwithstanding, strides have been made across the country, including in Los Angeles, toward
reducing the number of homeless individuals, particularly with regard to veterans. Far too
frequently, however, governmental agencies charged with reducing -- if not ending -- youth
homelessness focus on scaling-up solutions or interventions that may work with adult populations,
without also scaling-up what is needed specifically for homeless youth and young adults. The adult
system of care is generally ill-equipped to provide safety for runaway and homeless youth and
young adults, and lacks the capacity to provide developmentally appropriate supports, resources
and opportunities for them. Thus, youth and young adults are hesitant to seek assistance from adult
service systems, leaving them dangerously disconnected from resources and housing. As a result,
youth and young adults experiencing homelessness face significant barriers to stability, wellness
and self-sufficiency, and are highly vulnerable to becoming our next generation of chronically
homeless community members.
The City of Los Angeles can and should use a portion of the $100M to build upon existing public
and private investments by supporting:

Youth-specific outreach and program models with developmentally appropriate

programming, including education and employment services. Since youth and young
adults experiencing homelessness do not typically congregate with adults, adult-focused
outreach is not adequate to identify youth and young adults on the street. Funding for critical
outreach services, including emergency shelter, food, and transportation would provide critical

safety net resources to support youth and young adults in getting off the street and linked to
support services;

Innovative housing models specifically designed for youth and young adults, including
emergency shelter, bridge housing, and transitional living programs. These programs
provide housing for youth and young adults while they are collecting materials and clearances
needed for transitional or longer-term housing; provide street-engaged youth in crisis an
opportunity to feel safe while they are considering a commitment to transitional or longer term
housing; and give service providers an opportunity to further assess youth and young adults and
determine if they have family they can reunite with, or are in need a higher level of housing and
support;

Supportive services and aftercare for youth and young adults transitioning into more
stable housing. In the adult system of care, its widely recognized that the real work begins
once the individual is in housing. This is no different for homeless youth and young adults.
Comprehensive support services are critical to supporting formerly homeless youth and young
adults in maintaining housing stability and navigating resources to achieve their personal goals;
and

Robust support for coordinated entry systems. Youth CES is in its pilot phase, and scalingup will require building capacity throughout the City and County.

In addition, we echo the requests by other advocates and service providers by asking the City to
ensure the $100M pledge is:

New money, not including an accounting of what the City is already spending on law
enforcement and sanitation;
Monetary, not in-kind donations; and
Renewed annually for the next five years.

Given that youth and young adults make up at least 17% of the homeless population in the City of
Los Angeles, we recommend that at minimum, 17% of the total funds be allocated to youth-specific
intervention strategies, services and programs. We strongly recommend that the City and County
collaborate to identify additional funds for homeless prevention efforts focusing on the major
institutions that discharge youth and young adults into homelessness.
Finally, we strongly recommend that homeless youth and young adults have a meaningful, ongoing
voice in the process to better express their needs and contribute to the dialogue to identify
solutions.
We are counting on your support to help end homelessness for some of the most vulnerable members
of our community. Please know the Coalition is a ready partner to inform this effort.
For more information, please contact Charles Robbins, LACEYH Co-Chair, at
crobbins@thevillagefs.org or (818)824-9877.

Sincerely,

Rhonda Johnson,
LA Homeless Services Authority
LA CEYH Co-Chair

Charles Robbins,
Village Family Services
LA CEYH Co-Chair

Angela Rosales
LA Homeless Services Authority
LA CEYH Co-Chair