The Shelter Improvement Initiative provides investments to support physical site upgrades at existing interim shelter sites that operate on a year-round basis in Los Angeles County.
Donor Name: United Way of Greater Los Angeles (UWGLA)
State: California
County: Los Angeles County (CA)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 03/23/2023
Size of the Grant: $150,000
Details:
United Way of Greater Los Angeles (UWGLA) believes they can accomplish more together than alone. By combining community power, donations, and new solutions to long-standing challenges, they can support neighbors in crisis and close the prosperity gap. Through investments like the Shelter Improvement Request for Proposals (RFP), they aim to support their unhoused neighbors with access to shelters and support networks that can dramatically change the outcomes of their lives and connect them to pathways to permanent housing.
Through this RFP, made possible with support from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and the Home for Good Funders Collaborative, UWGLA will invest $2.5M to support year-round interim housing shelter sites in Los Angeles County that serve people experiencing homelessness with one-time physical site upgrades. These upgrades will integrate trauma-informed design principles in order to create increasingly welcoming and dignified spaces that not only encourage unhoused individuals to come inside, but to also promote their engagement and connection to shelter and housing services. As a result of these investments and the collective work of the shelter providers selected, they aim to increase bed utilization at existing shelters and reduce time from street to home.
Funding Categories
Category 1: Trauma-Informed Enhancements
- Qualifying Shelter Sites: All eligible shelter types, no bed minimum. Current Shelter Improvement partners can apply for funding only through this category and for a shelter site not currently under contract with UWGLA.
- Maximum Award Amount Available: Up to $25,000 per shelter provider is available through this category. Funds can be distributed across multiple site sites where relevant to the request, but they recommend not exceeding three shelter sites to ensure the investment is able to make a meaningful impact at target sites.
Eligible Uses of Funding
- Enhancements: One-time enhancements that integrate trauma-informed design principles into the site’s existing indoor spaces. For example, this can include one-time design and space modifications that use paint, furniture, biophilic design (i.e. plants and nature), art, acoustics, lighting, and flooring in rooms and common areas regularly used by shelter guests to promote a healing environment.
- This category prioritizes funding for trauma-informed enhancements so that they can demonstrate the immediate impact of making enhancements to client-shared spaces. However, they recognize that access to funding for formal assessments to analyze long-term capital needs is of interest so applicants for this category are able to request up to 30% of their award amount to hire a consultant to assess the provider’s existing shelter site(s) as a way to inform the organization’s future planning and strategy to address capital needs.
Category 2: Trauma-Informed Physical Site Upgrades
- Qualifying Shelter Sites: A congregate shelter site with a minimum of 25 year-round beds. All shelters must be owned by the shelter provider or a fiscal partner; no leased properties will be considered in this category. If you are applying on behalf of a city-owned shelter, UWGLA will request documentation about your partnership with the shelter’s service provider.
- Maximum Award Amount Available: Up to $150,000 per shelter provider is available through this category. Funds can only be utilized for upgrades at a single shelter site.
Eligible Uses of Funding
- Upgrades: One-time, physical site upgrades that integrate trauma-informed design principles into thesite’s existing indoor spaces. For example, this can include construction to offices, rooms, or commonareas highly utilized by shelter clients with a purpose to rethink the space in a way that promotes ahealing environment. This funding can be applied towards a provider’s existing or anticipated capital
- This category prioritizes funding for trauma-informed physical site upgrades so that they can demonstrate the immediate impact of upgrading client-shared spaces. However, they recognize that access to funding for formal assessments to analyze long-term capital needs is of interestso applicants for this category are able to request up to 5% of their award amount to hire a consultant to assess the provider’s existing shelter site(s) as a way to inform the organization’s future planning and strategy to address capital needs.
Eligibility Criteria
All organizations applying for Shelter Improvement funding must meet the following minimum criteria to apply. Additional eligibility requirements are noted within each funding category.
- A 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization in active and good standing with the IRS (or a fiscal sponsor who meets that definition).
- Cities are eligible to apply for funding for their interim housing sites. If awarded, funds will be granted to the shelter site’s service provider or to a non-profit entity of the city.
- The identified shelter site must:
- Be physically located in Los Angeles County.
- Operate on a year-round basis.
- Shelter unhoused, unaccompanied adults as the primary population.
- Meet the definition of an interim housing provider as determined by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) for Los Angeles County: “An intervention that provides people experiencing homelessness with temporary housing intended to resolve their immediate experience of unsheltered homelessness, to connect participants to permanent housing opportunities in their communities, and to provide various other services.” While not comprehensive, this includes crisis housing, bridge housing, recovery bridge, recuperative care, stabilization housing, Safe Haven, tiny homes, A Bridge Home, and Project Homekey sites.
For more information, visit UWGLA.
