The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority announced today it will start seeking bids in August for a variety of interim housing projects — including transitional, bridge and crisis housing – and for a new program aimed at finding homes for youth aged 18-24.
The new Host Home Program started as a pilot program in West Los Angeles, and LAHSA officials said they want to expand the program using Measure H funds.
Each young person who participates in the Host Home Program will be matched with a community resident and a room or shared room in the host’s owned or rented home. The hosts also live in the housing units, and the youth can remain in the program for up to 12 months. Participants receive supportive services while hosts receive training and ongoing coaching and support.
Rent and utilities will be provided free of charge to all youth, and hosts may receive a maximum monthly stipend of $500.
“We are thrilled to expand this innovative housing model for young people in Los Angeles County,” said Will Lehman, Youth Coordinated Entry System manager at LAHSA. “We’ve seen host homes tested in a spectrum of communities — both urban and rural — across the country, including West Los Angeles, but this is among the largest-scale implementations of this model to date.
“We’re eager to learn about how our county’s existing assets, including its residents and their homes, can move the needle towards ensuring experiences of youth homelessness in Los Angeles are rare, brief, and non-recurring,” Lehman said.
Government agencies and nonprofits can apply for funding, but nonprofits can only apply if they are certified as qualified bidders before the funding is announced.
