Equanimity at Missouri Place

Housing and Homelessness

Expand existing project, program, or initiative

Of Imagine LA's current families, 44% have experienced family violence, 47% have had mental health challenges, 25% have a child with neurodiversity, 16% have experienced substance abuse issues, and 12% have been in the child welfare system. Our current Family Partnership Model addresses barriers to financial stability and breaking the cycle of generational poverty, but it does not dive deeper into the trauma that these families have experienced. Without addressing the underlying cause of mental disorders and stress associated with life-changing events, such as experiencing homelessness, it will be difficult for our families to fully feel empowered and capable of maintaining stability in their new environment. Therefore, our group support sessions will allow for equanimity within the Missouri Place community. In addition, with the rich tapestry of arts and culture in the communities we serve, bringing this to light will create inspiration and hope.

The LA2050 grant will support our initiative to expand our current services to include on-site support groups led by mental health professionals who specialize in domestic violence and mental disorders, along with more frequent cultural activities and classes at Missouri Place. Having an on-site support group and therapist will allow our families to heal and sustain a happy and healthy life. We also will offer 1:1 therapy sessions on an "as needed" basis. The mental health professional will also address autism in children, as many of our families have a child who is on the spectrum and struggles with best supporting them. In addition, we believe in the power of art and culture to heal and inspire hope, especially for the youth. Adding cultural activities and classes such as acting, dance, yoga and painting, will fill this gap within our community. We recently started acting classes at Missouri Place and it has been such an exciting and empowering activity for the participating youth. The arts have a way of easing the healing process from traumatic experiences and that is our overarching goal with this initiative.

The expansion of our current programming will start with the 73 families residing at our supportive housing complex, Missouri Place, but we hope to extend these services to our scattered site clients, which includes 250 additional families. Families who partner with Imagine LA maintain their housing, access living-wage career tracks, and build an overall solid foundation for family wellbeing. The intensive housing retention support that Imagine LA provides is proven to keep families from slipping back into homelessness. Adding an on-site mental health professional for a weekly support group will address the trauma and mental health issues encountered in these underserved populations. In addition, the arts and cultural activities will be able to reach the "whole family" with a focus on youth, creating a ripple impact for future generations. Our model has the potential to impact thousands in the coming years, which will transform the state of homelessness in LA County.

We conduct quarterly client evaluations to make sure we are staying on track with our goals of breaking the cycle of family poverty and homelessness. Some of the metrics that we will be evaluating for this project will be as follows: Participating families maintain housing -Goal 95% (Q1 95%) Children ages 0-17 are equipped with necessary resources, support, advocacy, and referrals for academic success -Goal 95% (Q1 66%) Family members who have a mental health need and/or diagnosis are receiving therapeutic services - Goal 95% (Q1 62%) Will report that Imagine LA is attentive and responsive to their needs & requests- Goal 90% (Q1 96%) Will report that Imagine LA helps them to build confidence in their ability to achieve their goals & influence their future; and -Goal 90% (Q1 94%) We especially expect an increase in mental health support and resource needs being met as a result of this project.