Home4LAYouth’s mission is to prevent youth homelessness by providing first ever homes for youths who “age out” of foster care and students facing a housing crisis.
home4LAyouth.org
About Us
We are a Family Foundation proudly based in Los Angeles, CA.
Home4LAYouth was founded in 2017 by siblings, Arjun and Noor Mathew. Volunteering as teenagers with Peace4Kids, a Saturday program helping youth in foster care, opened their eyes to the devastating reality of youth homelessness. The lack of a safety net for so many youths in Los Angeles inspired them to begin this grassroots, non-profit organization. Housing these young adults was the goal. Partnering with P4Kids to help “transitional age youth” find a place of their own became their passion.
The Need
In Los Angeles County, there are ~2,275 homeless Transitional-Age Youth (TAY)
(LAHSA 2018 survey data)
Within 18 months of emancipation 40-50% of foster youth become homeless.
Nationally, 50% of the homeless population spent time in foster care. 65% of youth leaving foster care need immediate housing upon discharge.
TAY needs responsive solutions that provide permanent housing opportunities. TAY understand that a stable place to live has greater value than housing provider programs that offer a temporary reprieve from homelessness. Through building sustainable affordable housing solutions with private landlords and multi-unit apartment owners that are well below market rate, TAY will be given the opportunity to pursue a permanent, independent living solution to homelessness.
The Model
How we do housing
Individualized Spaces
TAY identified that they need to have a space of their own. Growing up in foster care limits the opportunity to have your own bedroom. Due to the limited number of foster homes, youth in foster care often have roommates. This trend continues in the available housing programs for TAY. In existing programs TAY are partnered with roommates not of their choosing. This creates a dynamic in which the level of trust and comfort in their own living spaces are greatly diminished.
Micro-Units
TAY have identified that they would prefer small spaces that are manageable and easily accessible. As TAY do not have extensive personal items, they desire spaces that don’t require additional furnishing or home goods to be inhabitable. As a result, most housing program units for TAY are pre-furnished.
Geographically Convenient
With limited affordable housing options, TAY have found that they need to move far out of the Los Angeles city areas to live. This drastically reduces access to existing community supports such as personal relationships, educational access and employment.
Our Stories
How are young people in Los Angeles impacted by our work?
"It's super important to have a space to call your own."
-Anthony C.
"The gift I got that was better than housing was the moment of clarity."
-Ray
"Having this opportunity to take my first steps forward into adult-hood has been truly amazing. Not to say that it's not without share ups and downs of course. But with each new struggle I gain a world worthy of experience that helps me to grow and mature into my own person. In this day and age it's next to impossible to find a place to rent on my own for a reasonable price in LA. Having the privilege to take part in this program has helped in making me learn to be me and learn to be comfortable in my own skin. For that I am forever grateful."
-Antwoine L.
"Since eighteen I have been living on my own working multiple jobs just to make ends meet, settling with housing just to experience horrible living situations... and having the uncertainty of where I’ll live once I had reached a certain age limit. [Now I have] my own apartment to myself. [Homes4LAYouth] has offered me the opportunity to reside in DTLA and afford housing giving me the certainty I hopelessly yearned for!”
-Kenisha H.
Do Something Now
How to get involved
1) Landlords, private or corporate, please reach out by email directly for more information about partnering with Home4LA Youth.
2) Any persons offering new or slightly used apartment furnishings, can also directly email Arjun.
3) Also, we are taking applications from Transitional Age Youth seeking permanent housing. Get in touch with our partners at Peace4Kids.
Contact Us
Home4LAYouth’s mission is to prevent youth homelessness by providing first ever homes for youths who “age out” of foster care and students facing a housing crisis.
Arjun Mathew
Executive Director
Home4LAYouth Foundation
(213) 622-9513
home4layouth@gmail.com
Noor Mathew
Deputy Director
Home4LAYouth Foundation
(213) 622-9513
home4layouth@gmail.com