United Way And Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Expand Public/Private Partnership To End Homelessness Throughout L.A. County

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2015, the Home For Good Funders Collaborative, led by United Way of Greater Los Angeles and a partnership of 25 foundations, corporations, government agencies, and political leaders, awarded $280 million in public and private resources to end chronic and veteran homelessness throughout the region.  This is the fourth year of funding for the Funders Collaborative, coordinating over $720 million since 2011, resulting in 23,000 homeless people being housed. 

United Way will continue to lead this work through the generous support of a recently approved $6 million grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. This funding will further catalyze the Funders Collaborative to achieve a collective $1 billion investment of public and private resources and allows for continued funding alignment into 2017. Of the $6 million grant, $2.5 million will serve as a Funders Collaborative challenge grant over the next two years to public funders and other philanthropic groups. 

The 2015 grants awarded by the Funders Collaborative will provide permanent housing with supportive services to thousands of homeless individuals and families. This effort is centralized through the innovative Coordinated Entry System (CES), which has become a national model.  The over $280 million awarded this year is an investment over a period of 15 years; which breaks down to $40.7 million in the first year, $17.4 million the second year, and $17.1 million a year in subsequent years.  

"Homelessness is a solvable problem with very tangible solutions," said Steven M. Hilton, Chairman, President and CEO of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. "We need to invest in housing and supportive services through a coordinated platform, with the support of a broad based coalition of volunteers, philanthropy, non-profits, business, and government. This is what we are supporting through our investment in United Way of Greater Los Angeles and the work of Home For Good."

The model of the Funders Collaborative is unique because it provides critical partnerships across the public and private sectors. This year, Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, the Mayor's Fund for Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority invested in the Collaborative for the first time, strategically leveraging other public and private resources at the table. This partnership opportunity is particularly critical given the tremendous political will and commitment of investment from both the City and County of Los Angeles.

"The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation has been a strong supporter of United Way's efforts to end homelessness. Thanks to the Foundation's support and the Funders Collaborative, we have made progress in building a sustainable system and infrastructure to house our most vulnerable. Our work continues as we head into this year's HomeWalk where we hope to engage 13,000 walkers to raise funds and awareness to continue the work of ending homelessness in our region," said Elise Buik, President & CEO, United Way of Greater Los Angeles.  

The Home For Good Funders Collaborative leverages public investments with private resources from foundations and corporations, including the Weingart Foundation, The California Endowment, JP Morgan Chase, and Cedars-Sinai. United Way also dedicates 100% of funds raised by over 13,000 walkers at their annual 5K HomeWalk to this effort.

Background Information Follows

Home For Good Funders Collaborative Private Funding Sources
California Community Foundation
The California Endowment
Carl and Roberta Deutsch Foundation
Cedars-Sinai
Corporation for Supportive Housing
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
Enterprise Community Partners
J.P. Morgan Chase
Kaiser Permanente
Mayor's Fund for Los Angeles
Pacific Western Bank
Real Change Movement
UniHealth Foundation
United Way of Greater LA
Weingart Foundation
W.M. Keck Foundation

Home For Good Funders Collaborative Public Resources
City of Los Angeles
City of Los Angeles, Council District 14
City of Pasadena
Housing Authority City of Los Angeles
LA County Board of Supervisors, District 3
LA County Department of Health Services
LA County Department of Mental Health
LA Homeless Services Authority
US Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Greater LA Healthcare System

Home For Good, now in its fifth year of implementation, is a joint initiative of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and United Way L.A., and a collective and countywide effort of over 200 cross-sector organizations. For more information on Home For Good visit: http://homeforgoodla.org/

About United Way of Greater Los Angeles

United Way of Greater Los Angeles is a nonprofit organization that creates pathways out of poverty by helping homeless people move into housing, providing students with the support they need to graduate high school prepared for college and the workforce, and helping hard-working families become financially stable. United Way identifies the root causes of poverty and works strategically to solve them by building alliances across all sectors, funding targeted programs and advocating for change. For more information, visit www.unitedwayla.org.

About the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation was created in 1944 by international business pioneer Conrad N. Hilton, who founded Hilton Hotels and left his fortune to help the world's disadvantaged and vulnerable people. The Foundation currently conducts strategic initiatives in six priority areas: providing safe water, ending chronic homelessness, preventing substance use, helping children affected by HIV and AIDS, supporting transition-age youth in foster care, and extending Conrad Hilton's support for the work of Catholic Sisters. In addition, following selection by an independent international jury, the Foundation annually awards the $2 million Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize to a nonprofit organization doing extraordinary work to reduce human suffering. From its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than $1 billion in grants, distributing $100 million in the U.S. and around the world in 2014. The Foundation's current assets are approximately $2.5 billion. For more information, please visit www.hiltonfoundation.org.

SOURCE United Way of Greater Los Angeles