Genesis LA proposes affordable housing plan for foster youth to curb homelessness crisis
LOS ANGELES - Some experts believe tackling foster care is a way to reduce the number of homeless people on our streets. A new report by Genesis LA outlines a plan for affordable housing for foster youth called "Scaling Housing."
Twenty-one-year-old Guillermo Bonilla is a former foster youth. He's an example of the heartbreaking number of young people who experienced foster care and ended up unhoused. Bonilla says he'd shuffled to a number of group homes as a teen and attended seven different high schools.
He found housing through The Rightway Foundation. "They gifted me with a room," he says with appreciation. Now, he's the father of a son and shares custody with the mother.
The Rightway Foundation says half of all foster youth become homeless within 12–18 months of aging out of the foster care system.
Foster youth advocate Daniel Heimpel says one answer to the homeless crisis in Los Angeles is affordable housing for foster youth. He's part of that report by Genesis LA and a plan to pay for it, called Scaling Housing. It involves the world of philanthropy and making new use of their endowment monies.
Among the foundations involved are the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation. They already distribute $20 million annually in grants. Among the other big-name foundations are Cedars Sinai and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
The Homeless Count came out just last week indicating despite all the billions spent, the problem is getting worse.
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Housing for Bonilla allows him to focus on his dreams. He's working a seasonal job while attending college and working to earn his high school diploma. "I want to be a(n) electrician," he says.