Cultivating Talent and Pooling Resources to House LA Residents That Are Experiencing Homelessness
7.28.2020
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LISC StoriesAffordable Housing
Affordable housing in the state of California requires deliverables – units built, individuals housed, funding used.
At LISC LA, we focus on deliverables too. It’s why we’ve supported the development of over 10,000 affordable housing units, why we have over 10 different loan programs, and why we create career pipelines that provide resources and training.
Deliverables are what we strive for, but affordable housing is a long game. At the core of what LISC LA does is a focus on sustainable cultivation of talent to ensure continuity in the field of affordable housing. That means investing in new talent, creating hands on training, and creating a sense of community within the affordable housing world.
Through the generous support of funders like the California Community Foundation (CCF), LISC LA is able to do just that. Funding from CCF allows us to focus not only on immediate deliverables in the housing field, but on the cultivation of new talent which will ensure those deliverables continue far into the future. CCF’s funding supports LISC LA programs such as the LA Housing Initiative Program, as well as our many loan and training programs.
“At the core of what LISC LA does is a focus on sustainable cultivation of talent to ensure continuity in the field of affordable housing.”
The LA Housing Initiative Program, or LA-HIP, is a testament to LISC’s focus on sustainability in the affordable housing community. The program, which brought on its newest cohort in early June, is a partnership with AmeriCorps that brings people from all backgrounds into the affordable housing field and places them with partners across LA.
LISC LA always focuses on building capacity and increasing management skills in the field, but LA-HIP is unique in that it supports young people attempting to break into these sectors, while giving them the tools, skills and training they need to succeed.
Claudette Nathaniel was a participant in last year’s LA-HIP cohort, where she worked at EAH Housing and is currently serving as a full-time AmeriCorps for American Family Housing.
“I feel very fortunate to have been a participant of the 2019 LISC AmeriCorps summer program,” she said. “Admittedly the information was overwhelming, but it was extremely useful and invaluable and I reference the material now.”
Since her time with LISC, Claudette has continued at American Family Housing as a Assistant Project Manager AmeriCorps.
“As an AmeriCorps, I’ve been made to feel very much a part of the team. I feel a sense of advancement; I have been encouraged to attend trainings my supervisor finds necessary for the work I’m doing or what he thinks I’d find useful.”
Funding from sponsors like CCF allows LISC LA to plan for the long game by investing in people like Claudette. Our focus on deliverables is only made possible by our commitment to long term investment in communities, individuals, and technical development.
And at LISC LA, our focus on sustainable development means young people in affordable housing will continue to have opportunities for learning, growing, and working in the field of affordable housing. Whether it be through programs like the Housing Development Training Initiative, our Asset Management Specialist Certification training program, or our partnerships with programs like ASCEND LA, LISC LA creates space for upward mobility and skill acquisition where it matters most.
Thanks to funding from organizations like California Community Foundation, which funds a portion of LISC’s housing work annually, we can move towards equitable housing approaches. With help from this year’s CCF funding, LISC has pledged to assist financing 300 affordable housing units and deploy $15 million to housing projects. In addition, we continuously support a pipeline of skilled project managers, create training opportunities, and host policy forums to ensure novel and innovative discussions.
Affordable housing needs immediate solutions. It also needs supporters and innovators for the long haul. Through support from organizations like CCF, LISC LA is supporting the latter to ensure the former.
