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On May 8, 2008, Beyond Shelter celebrated its 20th Anniversary with a spectacular party at Paramount Studios. Over 400 guests helped us share the festivities. The Awards ceremony, in the Paramount Theatre, was hosted by KNBC newscaster Kim Baldonado. Inspiration Awards were given to our honorees: Rabbi Zoe Klein accepted the award to Temple Isaiah for their outstanding social justice work; Nicole Richie presented the award to Baby2Baby founders, Marnie Owens, Lee Michel and Karis Jagger, for their generous contributions for mothers and children; and the Honorable Jan Perry gave the award to JoAnne Yokota for her 25 years of affordable housing advocacy and for serving as Executive Director of Beyond Shelter Housing Development Corporation for seven years. Additional awards were presented to Tanya Tull and Beyond Shelter honoring two decades of helping homeless and low-income families in Los Angeles.

A touching and emotional film was screened, featuring the stories of several formerly homeless families that have been helped by Beyond Shelter over the years. Everyone then “walked the red carpet” into the party, held in a beautiful tent surrounding the Paramount Fountain. Guests enjoyed fabulous wines, scrumptious ethnic food stations and dancing. There was also a wonderful silent auction of many one-of-a-kind items. Funds raised at the event help support the vital services Beyond Shelter provides to homeless families.

Joel Madden, Tanya Tull, and Nicole Richie

At that forum, the almost 200 local participants called for the creation of an ad-hoc committee to support and promote the right to housing movement in Los Angeles. The Coalition responded to that call with its first meeting held in September 2006, and has continued to meet since then on a monthly basis.

Comprised of representatives from public and private agencies and local coalitions, the purpose of the Coalition is to advocate for greater public consciousness and sound policy making surrounding housing, homelessness, poverty, and related issues using a rights-based approach.

Comprised of representatives from public and private agencies and coalitions, the Coordinating Council addresses the coordination and improvement of services delivery to end and prevent family homelessness in L.A. County. Its membership includes representatives from over 50 governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, and regional homeless coalitions. Monthly meetings provide an opportunity to bring together individuals and agencies who may not normally communicate and to foster shared dialogue, idea development, and cross-agency collaboration.

The LACCCHF mission statement is as follows:

The Los Angeles City/County Coordinating Council for Homeless Families is a working group of governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, and individuals dedicated to ending family homelessness by increasing access to housing and improving services delivery.  The goal is to implement the family recommendations of the L.A. 10 Year Campaign to End Homelessness.  The Coordinating Council is committed to a human rights based approach to addressing family homelessness, including, but not limited to, the promotion of housing as a basic human right. 

Council goals include:

• Evaluating existing key services and resources
• Improving utilization and coordination of those services and resources
• Identifying and advocating for additional services and resources when needed

To learn more about the LA Coordinating Council for Homeless Families, please click here. 

"The American Nightmare: More Families Living on the Edge of Homelessness," (Affordable Housing Finance Magazine, January 2007), featuring a segment on Beyond Shelter.

Article
Housing Plus Services

"Housing Plus Services: Supporting Vulnerable Families in Permanent Housing," (PDF) by Carol S. Cohen, Elizabeth Mulroy, Tanya Tull, Catherine White, and Sheila Crowley. Featured in a special September/October 2004 edition of Child Welfare, a publication of the Child Welfare League of America. To order the entire edition, click here.

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