USC Initiative to Eliminate Homelessness IMPACT REPORT

2016-2019

Nearly 59,000 people experienced homelessness in Los Angeles County in 2019. Proactively Addressing an Urgent Crisis

Our Vision

The USC Initiative to Eliminate Homelessness

envisions a Los Angeles where no one goes

without shelter — and we’re working to make

it a reality. Our vision is to find new solutions

that end homelessness by:

• Leveraging the expertise of multiple USC

disciplines

• Supporting the capacity of local organizations

• Incubating, testing, and validating novel

approaches and sharing new tools

• Engaging the entire Trojan Family of faculty,

staff, students, and alumni

“The USC Initiative to Eliminate Homelessness has helped create visibility and provided tangible contributions to address one of the most compelling socio-economic challenges of our time. It also represents our moral and ethical responsibility to offer strong support to those in our communities who depend upon us the most.”

— Earl C. Paysinger, USC vice president of Civic Engagement, former assistant chief and director of Special Operations for the Los Angeles Police Department

USC Initiative to Eliminate Homelessness 1

Message from the Director

Homelessness is one of the biggest social challenges of our time, affecting all our lives in myriad ways. Launched in 2016 under the auspices of the Office of the Provost, the USC Initiative to Eliminate Homelessness is the central resource supporting the university’s collective efforts to help solve this seemingly intractable problem.

Our impact report provides an overview of the actions taken by the initiative’s university-wide collaborators from 2016 to 2019 to proactively address this vital issue. Together, we are harnessing the passion and interdisciplinary excellence that are synonymous with the Trojan Family toward the goal of ending homelessness in Los Angeles.

Our partnerships with government agencies, nonprofits, and businesses throughout the region continue to expand and intensify, building positive relationships, unifying diverse stakeholders, and unleashing creativity in service to our community. Working with our steering committee of 12 USC deans, the initiative focuses on five strategic areas:

• Fostering policy, service-system, and environmental change • Promoting research and technical innovation • Responding to USC student needs • Developing a pipeline to build a prepared workforce • Using our collective voice to influence community support

We believe USC’s demonstrated strengths in scientific investiga-tion and innovation will further activate progress to eliminate the pain, dislocation, and social disintegration that homelessness repre-sents. In addition, we are working to ensure that all USC students become educated about the complexities of homelessness, listen to the voices of persons with lived experience, engage actively on the issue, and make an even bigger difference in the future.

In return, the individuals, groups, and communities who contribute their time and energy on behalf of those experiencing homelessness receive enormous satisfaction and invaluable experience. I’ve been inspired to witness the range and number of people at this univer-sity who care and want to make a difference. This will sustain our momentum to go the distance, ensuring that everyone has safe sanctuary and a roof over their head!

Brenda Wiewel, DSW, LCSW Director

“I’ve been inspired to witness the range and number of people at this university who care and want to make a difference.”

2 Impact Report 2016-2019

When the University of Southern California was founded in 1880,

Los Angeles was still a village. The university and the region have

grown and matured together, each helping the other to flourish and

advance. As Los Angeles emerged at the center of a vital region,

USC played an instrumental role in shaping the area’s culture

and economy. Although USC’s impact today is global, we remain

deeply committed to improving the lives of our local residents

and communities.

When the number of people experiencing homelessness began

soaring in 2010, the city and county of Los Angeles responded by

developing detailed plans, expanding resources, and reaching out for

collaboration. Voters approved funding for construction of specialized

housing and services. Government, business, and philanthropy task

forces convened to align and guide the efforts. And, once again, our

university assumed a leadership role. Numerous academic units

throughout USC — from social work to public policy and the health

sciences to engineering and architecture — began to conduct

research on the issue, provided direct outreach to those in need,

and partnered with area organizations to address the problem

as the issue gained prominence in our community.

In 2016, USC launched the university-wide Initiative to Eliminate

Homelessness to promote and unify our efforts, while fueling an

interdisciplinary approach to the problem, and offering our vast

range of resources and talent as a key partner for innovation. Since

our founding, the initiative has continued to expand, building new

partnerships and creating novel approaches to help solve the

homelessness crisis.

Leadership for Los Angeles

USC academic units

USC centers and institutes

partnering community organizations

USC Initiative to Eliminate Homelessness 3

Key Engagements 2016-2019

The USC Initiative to Eliminate Homelessness builds networks and fosters cooperation to fight homelessness and housing insecurity.

At the university, we have engaged • 16 USC academic units • 18 centers and institutes

Our partnerships beyond USC span 88 community organizations, including • 35 nonprofits • 30 faith-based entities • 11 government agencies • 6 businesses • 3 philanthropic foundations • 3 educational institutions

We have also made more than 500 matches of USC students, faculty, and programs with community groups, government agencies, and nonprofit service organizations to expand networks, resources, and education related to homelessness.

“While more people were housed in 2018 … the placements cannot keep pace with the number of new people falling into homelessness.” — Benjamin Henwood, Dworak-Peck School of Social Work associate professor and head of the USC research team that conducts the annual Los Angeles Homeless Count

USC Initiative to Eliminate Homelessness 5

An Urgent Crisis

Rampant homelessness should not exist in one of the world’s

richest areas. The presence of makeshift shelters on refuse-strewn

streets is shocking. As these conditions spread, they threaten

health and wellness for the entire community.

The causes of homelessness are numerous and often interrelated,

requiring multiple perspectives and integrated tactics. Populations

affected include veterans, those suffering from mental illness and

chronic disease, senior citizens, foster youth, LGBTQ youth, former

prisoners, young families, victims of domestic abuse, and unemployed

or underemployed people.

According to the 2019 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count,

nearly 59,000 people experienced homelessness in Los Angeles

County last year, a 12% increase from the prior year. Thanks to voter

investments in the county’s homeless services system, 21,631

people moved into housing. Despite this improvement, 23% of those

experiencing homelessness — more than 9,200 people — were

unsheltered for the first time last year, with economic hardship

cited as the primary cause.

The homelessness crisis is part of a broader economic and

housing crisis. As rents skyrocket, housing insecurity can turn into

homelessness at any time. With its high proportion of renters and

high cost of living, Los Angeles is the third most rent-burdened

metropolitan area in the nation, according to the Federal Home Loan

Mortgage Corporation. Rent-burdened populations are defined as

those paying 30% or more of their income for rent.

USC is taking numerous steps toward practical solutions to

address this complex problem.

increase in homeless population from

2010 to 2018

increase in youth homelessness from

2018 to 2019

of homeless adults counted in 2019 have

lived in L.A. County for over 20 years

6 Impact Report 2016-2019

USC’s commitment to developing comprehensive and effective solutions for this issue is strong, and our leadership is transformative. Following are just a few of the accomplish-ments from the Initiative to Eliminate Homelessness’ first three years.

Innovation and Impact

• The USC Digital Health Lab created an app enabling Santa Monica first responders and healthcare providers to better coordinate care and services for those experiencing homelessness — helping more people while reducing police and emergency department interventions.

• Faculty at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering developed a breakthrough in 3-D printing that could allow housing to be constructed at a large, rapid, and automated scale, with low energy and environmental impact.

• The USC Center for Artificial Intelligence in Society is generating new knowledge about youth homelessness, including how to assess vulnerability, disseminate infor-mation, and match resources for effective outcomes.

• The USC School of Architecture designed a concept and prototype for mobile, interim housing, and faculty created an innovative new typology design for affordable housing.

Strategic Advances

• The Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC operates two dental clinics on Skid Row as well as mobile clinics in other underserved areas of the city. The Keck School of Medicine of USC’s Street Medicine Institute trains professionals and provides regional leadership on homeless healthcare, while the USC Student-Run Health Clinic offers compre-hensive care. The USC School of Pharmacy’s numerous outreach clinics provide medication education and guidance for those experiencing homelessness, and the USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy integrates OT into clinics that provide homeless healthcare.

• The USC Annenberg School of Communications and Journalism pioneered a solar-powered mobile charging station in collaboration with Skid Row residents to help unsheltered persons maintain access to communication through their mobile phones.

• Director Brenda Wiewel connected the USC Dornsife Spatial Sciences Institute to Los Angeles city officials, helping them to recognize the power of geographical data for decision making, a capacity that was developed further through a Unified Homelessness Response Center to centralize resources (utilized to coordinate city services during the region’s recent fires).

USC Initiative to Eliminate Homelessness 7

Research and Shared Knowledge

• The USC Price School of Public Policy’s Homeless Research Policy Institute is helping Los Angeles County develop and engage in better evaluation and data analysis of homeless services.

• Since 2017, USC researchers from the USC Dworak-Peck School of Social Work and the USC Price School of Public Policy have conducted the research and data analysis for the Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count in collaboration with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

• We developed a free, online Library Guide with compre-hensive information for researchers.

• We created and published an innovative housing typologies toolkit to provide a comprehensive overview of promising development models and methods to alleviate homelessness.

• USC homelessness researchers published work in 72 peer-reviewed journals with 3,500 citations in 2018-19.

• USC experts were quoted frequently in news media reports about homeless and housing insecurity issues.

• Our YouTube channel features homelessness-related inspirational videos and training seminars.

Student Wellness and Engagement

• The USC Joint Educational Project’s Understanding Homelessness Through Service program provided 132 students with volunteer experience at numerous service locations between 2017 and 2019.

• The Trojan Food Pantry served 908 students in 2018-19.

• 92 students were assisted during 2018-19 in applying for Cal Fresh food grants and other resources.

• The initiative supported USC students as they developed the Trojan Shelter, a student-run shelter for homeless college students which provides a safe place to stay and free meals, as well as supportive services through the USC Dworak-Peck School of Social Work and the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

• A student communications marketing team at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism publicizes student basic need resources and homelessness awareness activities.

• We also increased student volunteering on campus and in the community. USC students organized three homeless awareness weeks over the last two years, while 1,501 students volunteered a total of 132,000 hours during the 2018-19 academic year.

At the 2016 kickoff for the initiative (from left): Hortensia Amaro; Council Member Curren Price; faculty panel discussion; and USC student volunteers

8 Impact Report 2016-2019

Community-Strengthening Convenings

• 400 people attended the 2018 annual USC Summit on Homelessness in Los Angeles to share knowledge and strategies.

• 250 area healthcare providers met in 2019 to learn practices from the Keck School of Medicine of USC’s Street Medicine team, which provides free healthcare and a model for serving vulnerable, transient populations.

• 32 young people who had experienced homelessness were sponsored to attend a regional youth conference in 2019 that attracted 120 participants.

• 20 private developers gathered on campus for a 2019 event to explore how they might lend their expertise on housing development.

• 50 top religious leaders gathered for a conversation on homelessness in 2017-18, which yielded a joint statement and several educational resources for the Los Angeles faith community.

• The Ross Minority Fellows Program  at the USC Price School of Public Policy partnered with the Los Angeles Clergy Development Council to train pastors and church leaders to work on affordable and homeless housing development.

Strategic Advances Praise for Our Accomplishments

“I’m so glad we found the 3-D printing that USC Viterbi Professor Berok Khoshnevis has pioneered. We want to build with it as soon as possible.”

– Alex Tucciarone, social enterprise development coordinator, Volunteers of America Los Angeles

“I was able to sit down with faculty and understand how to make a project commercially viable through the Ross Minority Fellows Course. … We now have 900 potential units in various stages of development.”

– Pastor Steve Richardson, Los Angeles Clergy Development Council

“The housing typologies toolkit you created is terrific. I have been sharing it with colleagues all over the U.S.”

– Erich Yost, management analyst, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

“The engineering students got to know us and came up with amazing ideas, some which we could use right away at our facility.”

– Tonja Boykin, chief operating officer, Weingart Center

The USC Initiative to Eliminate Homelessness is guided by the USC Deans’ Steering Committee on Eliminating Homelessness.

Willow Bay Dean, USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism

Jim Burklo Senior Associate Dean, USC Religious Life

Milton S. F. Curry Dean, USC School of Architecture

Karen Symms Gallagher Dean, USC Rossier School of Education

Jack Knott Dean, USC Price School of Public Policy

Haven Lin-Kirk USC Roski School of Art and Design

Amber Miller Dean, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Science

Laura Mosqueda Dean, Keck School of Medicine of USC

Erica Muhl Dean, USC Iovine and Young Academy

Catherine Quinlan Dean, USC Libraries

Avishai Sadan Dean, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC

Suzanne Wenzel Interim Dean, USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work

Even though homelessness remains

on the rise, the USC Initiative to Eliminate

Homelessness is making a difference.

In 2019, Los Angeles County’s increase

in the number of people experiencing

homelessness was lower than all other

California counties. But so much more

must be achieved — and, together,

we can do it!

USC Initiative to Eliminate Homelessness

Office of the Provost

https://homelessness.usc.edu/