Pacoima, CA (Thursday, June 6, 2019) — Today, Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez announced the launch of a homeless family resource hub that will support families experiencing homelessness in the Northeast San Fernando Valley. The hub is a one-stop shop for homeless services and is coordinated through a partnership with the City of Los Angeles, homeless service providers, and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).
“A critical gap exists between the services available and a families’ ability to access them,” said Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez. “I am proud to launch this innovative program and multi-agency effort to meet our homeless families where they are and provide the resources to help them succeed.”
The homeless family resource hub will serve as a one-stop-shop for families in need to access supportive services and receive referrals to supporting agencies. The North Valley Caring Services (NVCS) campus will have in-house case managers, housing navigation services, food security program, shower services, activities for children living in motels, workforce development, and child care.
In January 2019, Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez secured over $500,000 through the State’s Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP) to establish the hub. This program will be operated by NVCS, an independent nonprofit which serves homeless and low-income individuals and families in North Hills and the surrounding neighborhoods. LAUSD will now be able to directly refer students and families in need to the hub for services and co-locate staff at NVCS.
“Placing families in motels is only the first step in helping our homeless families, and we must also provide them with basic necessities such as food, clothing, and a sense of security to help them succeed. NVCS is ‘all in’ when it comes to providing support for these families,” said Manny Flores, Executive Director, North Valley Caring Services.
In the Northeast San Fernando Valley, over 17,000* students identify as homeless. Telfair Elementary School in Pacoima is home to the highest percentage of homeless students in LAUSD. In March 2018, Councilwoman Rodriguez introduced legislation to better coordinate homeless support services between local agencies and public schools.
“I appreciate Councilwoman Rodriguez’s leadership in taking action to address this growing problem that plagues our community. I know that through these partnerships, we will connect service providers to those in need. Thank you Councilwoman Rodriguez for not standing idly by,” said Jose Razo, Principal, Telfair Elementary School.
“LAUSD is committed to supporting our students and families experiencing homelessness. We are excited to partner with North Valley Caring Services to ensure that our students are identified, enrolled and receiving services, in order to be successful,” said Denise Miranda, Director of Student Support Programs, LAUSD.
A partnership with the LAUSD will help enhance LAUSD support staff’s existing capacity through the availability of direct referral services for their students and families to the new hub. The School District will also co-locate LAUSD support staff at the hub to assist students and their parents in accessing services available through the LAUSD Homeless Education Program.
“It takes all of us working collaboratively to combat the homelessness crisis on our streets and in our schools — this is a responsibility we all share and I am proud of our productive partnership with the community, LAUSD, and service providers,” said Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez.
For more information, read the Councilwoman’s motion regarding the program’s funding here and here.
*Please note a correction from an earlier media alert. The accurate number of LAUSD students experiencing homelessness is roughly 17,000.
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Los Angeles City Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez serves as the City’s Chair of Public Safety, and Vice Chair of the City’s Homelessness and and represents the 7th Council District in the Northeast San Fernando Valley which include the neighborhoods of Sylmar, Mission Hills, Pacoima, Lake View Terrace, Sunland, Tujunga, North Hills, Shadow Hills, and La Tuna Canyon.