The People Concern
Because everyone should be housed, healthy and safe.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The People Concern believes no one should have to live on the street or in a violent household. Our staff, volunteers and those we serve work together to address the effects of homelessness, poverty, mental and physical illness, abuse and addiction. Through our efforts to increase the stock of supportive and affordable housing across Los Angeles County we will house 20,000 people by 2028.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Interim and Permanent Supportive Housing
Following a “Housing First” model, we work closely with program participants to get them housed as quickly as possible and continue to provide individualized ongoing supportive services even after they have moved into their homes.
Due to the shortage of available affordable housing, our program participants often need interim housing during the time it takes for a permanent housing option to become available to them. For this reason, The People Concern operates eight housing programs throughout LA County with on-site access to physical, mental, and life skills resources.
Outreach & Engagement
Outreach provides us with the opportunity to engage individuals experiencing homelessness where they are; on their own turf, on their own terms, and work to develop a trusting relationship that will culminate in providing holistic services including housing and physical and mental health care.
Our mobile service-rich outreach teams target some of the most vulnerable members of our community: homeless tri-morbid (having mental illness, physical health problem/disability, and substance addiction) individuals on the street. Engagement services and physical and mental health care are provided directly on the streets if necessary.
In addition to our mobile outreach teams, the Access Center in downtown Santa Monica serves as a safe space open daily for these vulnerable individuals to use. It is the point of entry for program participants and serves an average of 200-225 people daily.
Mental Health Care
The People Concern integrates mental health care with all its services and programs. There are mental health clinicians based at each location and program of The People Concern. In the field, the Resnick Home Team Program provides in-home care for those who have been housed, while multiple mobile outreach teams provide care for unsheltered individuals with the highest levels of vulnerability.
Medical Care
With access to onsite, mobile, and in-home medical care, The People Concern program participants are able to maintain and improve their health and relieve some of the stress on public services.
For individuals living with chronic, acute medical issues, The People Concern provides recuperative care services at our interim housing site SOLAR in Compton. With meals, full-time nursing care, case management, linkage to permanent supportive housing, and health and diet education, residents can stabilize after a hospital stay. Case managers and advocates work to place the program participants in permanent housing once they become stable. Since its opening, SOLAR has saved Los Angeles County an average $14,000 in related health costs per patient.
Substance Use Services
Mental health and physical health challenges, plus the trauma of living life on the streets, can cause a person to self-medicate. The People Concern does not exclude individuals with substance use problems from receiving services. The People Concern makes every effort to work with individuals regardless of where they are in their recovery process, taking a "Harm Reduction" approach to long-term wellness.
Domestic Violence
Founded in 1977, Sojourn is The People Concern's dedicated domestic violence program, providing shelter and assistance for survivors of domestic violence, including children. The program connects individuals with services including a 24/7 hotline [(310) 264-6644], children's support programs, adult support groups, court advocacy/legal assistance, and mentorship.
Wellness & Life Skills Programs
The Wellness Program provides our program participants with psychosocial and life skills interventions to increase their coping skills and improve their quality of life. The People Concern’s model of integrated and comprehensive care empowers our participants to navigate the multi-faceted obstacles in their lives, become their best selves, and ultimately, connect with and contribute to their communities. The People Concern employs a holistic approach to health and wellbeing. Understanding that physical health and mental health are interconnected, an integrated multi-disciplinary approach is used in all facets of our programming to help promote wellbeing in our program participants.
Programs include a wide range of groups and classes, including Coping Skills, Anger Management, Harm Reduction, Music, Poetry Writing, Art, Yoga, and Healthy Living, among other skill-based workshops. The People Concern is also home to the Skid Row community art program Studio 526, in addition to access to education in nutrition, exercise, and tobacco cessation.
Income Assistance
The People Concern does everything possible to assist our program participants to increase their incomes in order to become as self-sufficient as possible. Since many of our program participants have medical or physical disabilities, our staff begins working with program participants from the first point of engagement to assist them in applying for any benefits to which they are entitled. These benefits are crucial to their ability to pay their rent as they obtain housing.
Once benefits are secured, the agency provides a full service Money Management program for program participants and individuals who have chosen to deposit their government benefits and other income with the agency. As part of its service offering, program participants receive personal banking services including financial counseling, budgeting and bill payment services, and financial literacy support groups - all geared toward helping these vulnerable adults take control of their finances.
At-Risk Youth and Shelter Dogs
k9 connection is an experience-based program which educates and inspires at-risk teens through the experience of bonding with and training homeless shelter dogs.
Where we work
External reviews

Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of clients served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people, People with psychosocial disabilities, People with physical disabilities, Substance abusers, Chronically ill people
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This data reflects the total number of program participants served annually.
Number of direct care staff who received training in trauma informed care
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Economically disadvantaged people, Victims of crime and abuse, Substance abusers, People with disabilities
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
All new employees receive training in trauma informed care.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The People Concern's vision is that the most vulnerable among us rebuild their lives-housed, healthy and safe through our highly effective model of comprehensive, integrated care. Our programs empower the most vulnerable among us to improve their quality of life — housed, healthy and safe — and become active participants in the community. We also work to educate the broader community and improve public policy.
Specifically, we aim to:
- End homelessness
- End domestic violence
- Provide primary health care, mental health care, and substance use treatment
- Increase individual's self-sufficiency and improve their quality of life
- Contribute to making our community a healthier place for all our neighbors
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
With compassion and profound respect for those we serve, The People Concern provides a fully integrated system of care – including outreach, interim housing, mental and medical health care, substance abuse services, domestic violence services, lifeskills & wellness programs, and permanent supportive housing – tailored to the unique needs of homeless individuals, survivors of domestic violence, challenged youth, and others who have nowhere else to turn.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
One of Los Angeles County’s largest social services agencies, The People Concern was formed in 2016 in a merger of two trusted social service organizations based in Los Angeles County, OPCC and Lamp Community. Informed by more than fifty years of work in the community, The People Concern is a leading provider of, and advocate for, evidence-based solutions to the multi-faceted challenges inherent in homelessness and domestic violence.
Our assets include:
- The second oldest continually operating domestic violence shelter in the state of California
- Our own mental health department to provide treatment, with a longstanding partnership with Venice Family Clinic (VFC), who provides onsite medical care
- Individualized support and services that are fully integrated and available to all clients
- An innovative, client-driven and results-oriented model. In addition to meeting the day-to-day service needs of our clients, The People Concern is continually creating and integrating groundbreaking practices into our work.
- Participation in nationwide research focused on best practices for ending homelessness and supporting vulnerable populations
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
The People Concern currently supports 2,769 people living in permanent supportive housing, connects with 12,585 individuals through our outreach services, provides support to 1,887 people escaping domestic violence.
With our eye on our strategic goal of housing 20,000 people by 2028 we are currently engaged in efforts to increase the stock of available housing through 3 pillars:
Adaptive Reuse - the conversion of hotels and motels into permanent supportive housing
Master Lease - The People Concern leases an entire existing building and rents the units to our clients
New Build - through FlyAway Homes and other developers we aim to partner in the construction of new, modular housing units.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Paper surveys, Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Case management notes, Suggestion box/email,
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve,
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
Our staff, Our board,
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time, It is difficult to identify actionable feedback,
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
The People Concern
Board of directorsas of 2/4/2022
Laura Kaiser
Gary Foster
Bart Zitnitsky
First Republic Private Wealth Management
Rae Archibald
RAND Corporation
Greg Germann
Actor
Stephen Gunther
NUWI (New Urban West, Inc.)
Richard Hirsch
Nasatir, Hirsch, Podberesky & Khero
Gary Richwald
Public Health and Communicable Disease Consultant
Julie Guest
Community Volunteer
Jonathan Brenner
Epstein Becker & Green, P.C.
Gary Foster
Gary Foster Productions
Michael Parks
FlyawayHomes, LLC
Aaron Mitchell
Netflix
Sarah Knauer
Amalfi Estates
Mary Clare Lingel
Cedars-Sinai
Matt Baxter
Platinum Equity
Laura Kaiser
MBK Quality Homes
Jeremy Barber
United Talent Agency
Michael Parks
FlyawayHomes, LLC
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data