EVERYONE IN: Preventing 30,000 Angelenos from Becoming Homeless

Housing affordability

Rates of homelessness

LA is the best place to LEARN

LA is the best place to CREATE

LA is the best place to PLAY

LA is the healthiest place to CONNECT

Advocate for policy

Digital organizing or activism

Trainings and/or in-person engagements

Create new tools or technologies for greater civic/political engagement

Increase participation in political processes

Influence individual behavior

Connect Angelenos with impactful volunteer opportunities

Increase donations to organizations and causes

While we have proven we know how to end homelessness through permanent housing and services, we haven’t made a significant impact on the flow of people into homelessness. By some estimates, monthly in LA County more than 10,000 people fall into homelessness but less than 20% ends their homelessness.

We will activate 100,000 Angelenos to advance short-term prevention- the need to make sure vulnerable residents stay housed- and longer-term prevention that increases the supply of housing to make more housing affordable to low-income Angelenos. We will inform and mobilize residents to:

UNDERSTAND THAT OUR HOMELESSNESS CRISIS IS A HOUSING CRISIS. According to recent focus group research, most people don't understand that the cost of housing is the number one driver of our homelessness crisis. People especially don't understand that if we make housing more affordable, we can solve homelessness for most people. In fact, 2/3 of homeless people don’t need supportive housing, they just need housing they can afford. Lifting this issue up will be a core focus of this partnership.

SUPPORT TENANTS AT RISK OF EVICTION TO STAY IN THEIR CURRENT HOMES. Historically low vacancy rates have created an environment where landlords often force families out of their homes, by legal and illegal means, so they can rent to higher income tenants. Displaced families must quickly find replacement housing or risk becoming homeless. But without enough affordable housing, and with an eviction on their record, it is an uphill battle.

Inner City Law Center established a pilot program for keeping families in their homes. Lawyers help tenants resolve differences with landlords, and if necessary, fight evictions. In addition, short-term rent subsidies are available to keep tenants current on rent. Social workers help tenants resolve underlying issues that have placed them at risk. We will spread the word about these programs and advocate for doing more.

But the work these programs can do is limited by existing legal frameworks that make it too easy to put tenants on the street. We will activate Angelenos to support meaningful tenant rights reforms. For instance, more cities in LA County could pass rules for just-cause evictions, meaning families can only be evicted if they violate the lease.

SAY YES TO MORE HOMES AND BETTER RULES. Building more housing that is affordable is critical to helping people avoid homelessness. We will activate Angelenos to support new housing in their communities. Elected officials who decide whether to approve new homes are very attuned to input from local residents. People who turn out for hearings on these projects have traditionally been opposed to new housing, often when it's for lower income and homeless people. Supportive messages and in-person testimony from residents who believe we need to address LA’s homelessness and housing crisis can make a huge difference in allowing more homes of all types to be permitted and built.

A core component of making L.A. the best place to live is having enough places for people to live. Our activation will target L.A. County residents who voted ‘yes’ for both Prop. HHH and Measure H, which is nearly 1.5 million people combined. More specifically, we will target:

Angelenos, especially renters, who typically haven’t taken part in the housing planning discussion and sympathetic homeowners, landlords and community leaders who can be visible supporters

Our three core strategies to activate 100,000 people are:

Digital Communication & Calls to Action

We will leverage high quality digital communications through the EVERYONE IN, Abundant Housing LA, and Inner City Law channels to educate people on the causes of homelessness and how we can prevent it by working together.

Community Based Pop Up Engagement Events

We will leverage community specific pop up events to include conversations around housing production (of all types) as well as renter protections. We expect to conduct at least 10 of these events over the grant period, with approximately 500 people at each event—or 5,000 total people.

Old Fashioned Community Organizing

EVERYONE IN has developed a robust community organizing strategy that will be driven and advocated by experienced organizers, volunteers, and a coalition of over 50 community based organizations throughout Los Angeles.

In the context of activating 100,000 people towards this goal, we will measure:

Digital key performance indicators of our digital content (core strategy component):

* Impressions, shares, clicks, likes

Human beings engaged

* People who attend community pop ups

* People who attend organizer trainings

* People who attend community events or participate in

legislative activities

Jurisdictions targeted

* Number of jurisdictions in LA County in which have we taken a digital or in person action

Policy ideas proposed or refined

* tenants rights policy reforms

* prevention programs

* affordable housing development reforms

Short-Term Success Measure

30,000 people successfully prevented from experiencing homelessness by July 1, 2022.

Long-Term Success Measure

In 2015, the number of homeless individuals in Los Angeles County was 41,474. By 2050, our goal is to have fewer than 1,000 homeless individuals in LA.

In five years, we hope to see:

- Significant reduction in the number of residents becoming homeless

- Increase in the supply of supportive and affordable housing in LA County

- A shift in community understanding of the role that housing affordability plays in our homelessness crisis

- Meaningful increase in the number of Angelenos activated and mobilized on public policy issues related to housing and homelessness