Brilliant Corners https://brilliantcorners.org Where Housing and Services Come Together Tue, 19 Mar 2024 16:36:44 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://brilliantcorners.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/cropped-Screen-Shot-2019-05-27-at-1.39.07-PM-32x32.png Brilliant Corners https://brilliantcorners.org 32 32 Las Palmas Apartments Multifamily Housing Project https://brilliantcorners.org/las_palmas/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=las_palmas Mon, 04 Mar 2024 09:00:07 +0000 https://brilliantcorners.org/?p=3801

Check out our Las Palmas Apartments project, a beautiful multi-family supportive housing development that will provide 53 apartments to individuals in the Wilmington neighborhood in the City of Los Angeles. Las Palmas is an adaptive reuse project that utilizes the existing building site, transforming it into dynamic apartments that will provide permanent supportive housing for people who have experienced homelessness. It will also feature a community room, open-air courtyard, and furnished apartments.

Designed by award-winning architecture firm KFA, Las Palmas is co-developed and co-owned by Brilliant Corners and The Richman Group. The Richman Group will provide a full-time on-site property manager, and Brilliant Corners will provide wrap-around supportive services on-site to residents.

We’re proud to partner on this project and grateful to our following partners: Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, Los Angeles Community Development Authority, Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, Corporation for Supportive Housing, Genesis LA Economic Growth Corporation, Bank of

America, California Community Reinvestment Corporation, United Way, LAHD – HHH (Los Angeles Housing Department), TCAC (Tax Credit Allocation Committee), CDLAC (California Debt Limit Allocation Committee).

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County’s Community Care Grant Applications Opening Jan. 22 https://scvnews.com/countys-community-care-grant-applications-opening-jan-22/#new_tab?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=3773-2 Thu, 11 Jan 2024 16:00:00 +0000 https://brilliantcorners.org/?p=3773 Can homelessness in L.A. ever be ‘rare, brief and nonrecurring’? https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-12-14/can-homelessness-in-l-a-ever-be-rare-brief-and-nonrecurring#new_tab?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=can-homelessness-in-l-a-ever-be-rare-brief-and-nonrecurring Thu, 14 Dec 2023 09:20:00 +0000 https://brilliantcorners.org/?p=3838 Ten (10) recommendations to shore up fragile LA County licensed residential facilities. Part Two of our conversation with The Future Organization https://www.buzzsprout.com/1283882/13848254#new_tab?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ten-10-recommendations-to-shore-up-fragile-la-county-licensed-residential-facilities-part-two-of-our-conversation-with-the-future-organization Thu, 26 Oct 2023 19:00:00 +0000 https://brilliantcorners.org/?p=3754 To tackle homelessness faster, LA has a kind of real estate agency for the unhoused https://www.npr.org/2023/10/24/1207461308/homelessness-housing-losangeles-la-real-estate-unhoused#new_tab?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=to-tackle-homelessness-faster-la-has-a-kind-of-real-estate-agency-for-the-unhoused Tue, 24 Oct 2023 12:00:00 +0000 https://brilliantcorners.org/?p=3746 Long-awaited research findings signal need to pay attention to our fragile system of licensed facilities serving people with mental illness: A conversation with The Future Organization (Part One) https://www.buzzsprout.com/1283882/13773819#new_tab?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=heart-forward-conversations-from-the-heart Thu, 19 Oct 2023 16:00:00 +0000 https://brilliantcorners.org/?p=3745 Advocacy at Brilliant Corners: Summer Advocacy Update https://brilliantcorners.org/summeradvocacy23/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=summeradvocacy23 Mon, 25 Sep 2023 08:00:00 +0000 https://brilliantcorners.org/?p=3727 Brilliant Corners has continued our advocacy efforts throughout the summer season. During the last quarter, we took action on several policy and advocacy initiatives and worked in collaboration with organizations and coalitions at the state and local level to advocate for housing and homelessness policy improvements and more. Below is a recap of the activities we engaged in this summer.

At the State Level

Assembly Bill 1568
In June and August, we submitted letters of support for Assembly Bill 1568. AB 1568 would codify an Independent Living Skills (ILS) rate adjustment, requiring the Department of Developmental Services to revise the ILS rate. ILS service providers are skilled in teaching people with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) to live independently in a safe, supported, and person-centered environment. AB 1568 is significant to Brilliant Corners given our founding mission to reduce barriers to housing for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and our ongoing work to provide safe and appropriate  housing options for people with I/DD in independent, community-based settings.

Assembly Bill 799
In July, we joined the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH), to sign a letter of support for Assembly Bill 799. AB 799, also known as the Homeless Housing Assistance Prevention (HHAP) accountability bill, would ensure local jurisdictions invest their homelessness resources in proven solutions that quickly rehouse people and reduce homelessness numbers. Specifically, AB 799 would also allow local service providers to hire and retain the staff they need to ramp up homelessness prevention efforts and also advance racial equity in the contracting, hiring, data collection, and policymaking processes within homeless service system responses.

California Legislative Staff Education Institute
In July, our partners at Capitol Impact invited our Chief Operating Officer, Chris Contreras, and Chief Strategic Partnership Officer, Sabrina Gillan, to Sacramento for a learning event with the California Legislative Staff Education Institute, which is dedicated to improving public policy decision making through professional development for CA state legislative staff. Chris and Sabrina delivered a Flexible Housing Subsidy Pool presentation and discussed current legislative proposals that could impact housing access and scale solutions for homelessness. 

At the Local Level

Report on Los Angeles County Adult Residential Facilities and Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly
In August, Brilliant Corners released a new report, Serving Our Vulnerable Populations: Los Angeles County Adult Residential Facilities and Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly, a first-of-its kind analysis of the landscape of ARFs and RCFEs and the most comprehensive study to date on the range of existing facilities in LA County, current vacancy rates, the percentage of residents who have experienced homelessness, and a deep dive into the unique needs of residents, as well as the needs of facility owners and operators. Authored by The Future Organization, a research-based consultancy with a focus on serving the needs of nonprofits and government, the report is the result of a year-long research study to pinpoint the availability of ARF/RCFEs in LA County, examine the challenges to ongoing operation for these sites, uplift opportunities for increasing placement rates for people who have experienced homelessness, and provide recommendations to stabilize and increase access to these vital housing resources. We are proud to share that the report was also featured in the LA Times

Care First Community Investment (Formerly known as Measure J)
Brilliant Corners continues to support the recommendations for fully funding Measure J and the Care First vision in Los Angeles. We are happy to share that in early August, an appellate court unanimously ruled that Measure J is constitutional, reversing a 2021 decision and creating the potential for millions of dollars to be invested in social services and alternatives to incarceration. You can learn more about the decision in this article in the LA Times. In the coming months, our team will support coalition efforts to ensure Los Angeles County’s supplemental budget for FY 24 reflects a Care First vision.  

Fair Chance Housing Ordinance
We are continuing the efforts in our campaign to bring about the LA County Fair Chance Housing Ordinance, which would give equal access in the housing application process to people in LA County who have experienced incarceration. Brilliant Corners Director of External Affairs, Jose Osuna, continues to actively work with stakeholders at the local level to support the Fair Chance Housing Ordinance for the City of LA on a parallel track. If you would like to learn more or want to participate in the coalition or the campaign in any way, please reach out to our Director of External Affairs, Jose Osuna, at josuna@brilliantcorners.org.

Provider Advocacy Policy Roundtable (PAPR)
We are proud to join local LA-area peer nonprofit partners in the homeless services sector at the Provider Advocacy Policy Roundtable (PAPR) to collaborate on advocacy priorities that would lead to sector-wide system improvements. The working group is currently focused on strategies to increase funding for services and workforce investment, including intensive case management services (ICMS) – one of the key components of wrap-around supportive services that are provided to residents in supportive housing and individuals transitioning from interim housing or street homelessness – and an area that has long been underfunded. 

Breaking Barriers

We are thrilled to share that, after three years of time-intensive advocacy, our Breaking Barriers program has secured an ongoing funding commitment through AB 109, the Public Safety Realignment Act. This will allow Breaking Barriers, a groundbreaking program operated by Brilliant Corners that provides housing, tenancy support, case management, and employment services to justice-impacted adults and families in LA County who are experiencing homelessness, to restore its original participant capacity and serve up to 280 participants.

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Brilliant Corners Announces Groundbreaking for Homekey Harbor City https://brilliantcorners.org/brilliant-corners-announces-groundbreaking-for-homekey-harbor-city/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=brilliant-corners-announces-groundbreaking-for-homekey-harbor-city Tue, 19 Sep 2023 16:40:24 +0000 https://brilliantcorners.org/?p=3699

Brilliant Corners is proud to announce the kick-off for construction at Homekey Harbor City, a former Motel 6 that will become permanent supportive housing for 49 individuals who have experienced homelessness. We were joined for the groundbreaking by Isela Gracian, Senior Deputy, Homelessness & Housing, for LA County Supervisor Holly Mitchell. 

Homekey Harbor City will transform a former Project Roomkey site into 49 studio and one-bedroom apartments for residents, and will include a community room, laundry facilities, bicycle storage, parking, onsite services and management offices, pet area, and outdoor courtyard for residents. There will be an additional unit for an onsite property manager.

Designed by Sparano + Mooney Architecture with construction by Walton Construction, Homekey Harbor City will be developed and operated by Brilliant Corners, who will also provide case management services. Onsite property management will be provided by Solari Enterprises.

We’re proud to partner on this project, and grateful to our funding partners: County of Los Angeles, California State Department of Housing and Community Development, CSH, and Genesis LA.

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Board and care homes could make a dent in homelessness but remain underfunded, study finds https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-08-26/board-and-care-homes-homelessness-underused-underfunded#new_tab?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=3684-2 Sat, 26 Aug 2023 16:18:00 +0000 https://brilliantcorners.org/?p=3684 New Research Study on LA County-based Adult Residential Facilities and Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly https://brilliantcorners.org/servingvulnerablepopulations/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=servingvulnerablepopulations Mon, 21 Aug 2023 06:13:00 +0000 https://brilliantcorners.org/?p=3661

Adult Residential Facilities (ARFs) and Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFEs) represent an essential part of the continuum of housing support. Commonly referred to as ‘board and care’ facilities, these sites provide housing and enhanced support for a broad range of individuals with diverse care needs. They also provide customized assistance and community-based housing to individuals dealing with mental illness, seniors requiring supportive services, and individuals from these groups who have experienced homelessness – representing a crucial and distinct housing opportunity for some of our most vulnerable community members.

Yet due to rising costs and insufficient reimbursement rates, these sites have seen mounting closures in recent years as operators retire or property maintenance becomes overwhelming for mom-and-pop operators. Since 2016, over 100 facilities have closed in LA County alone, resulting in the loss of 1,700 beds. In response to these challenges, and in an effort to stem the loss of these vital housing resources, LA County and local stakeholders have been working to preserve and expand the supply of Adult Residential Facilities and Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly.

To gain an understanding of the challenges faced by owners of Adult Residential Facilities and Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly, and to best understand the role that ARF/RCFEs serve in the housing continuum for people experiencing homelessness and mental health challenges, as well as older adults with higher acuity needs, Brilliant Corners engaged The Future Organization, a specialized, research-based consultancy with a focus on serving the needs of nonprofits and government, to conduct a year-long research study to pinpoint the availability of ARF/RCFEs in LA County, examine the challenges to ongoing operation for these sites, uplift opportunities for increasing placement rates for people who have experienced homelessness, and provide recommendations to stabilize and increase access to these vital housing resources.

The study report, Serving Our Vulnerable Populations: Los Angeles County Adult Residential Facilities and Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly, is a first-of-its kind analysis of the landscape of ARFs and RCFEs and the most comprehensive study to date on the range of existing facilities in LA County, current vacancy rates, the percentage of residents who have experienced homelessness, and a deep dive into the unique needs of residents, as well as the needs of facility owners and operators. The report provides comprehensive solutions to strengthen these valuable community resources, and offers recommendations for system improvements.

Key findings include:

A comprehensive scan of 3,065 Los Angeles County-based, licensed Adult Residential Facilities and licensed Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly identified 750 facilities currently serving or willing to serve people reliant on public benefits for their room, board, and care, people living with mental illness, and people with experience of homelessness, with an estimated, total licensed bed capacity of 25,000 beds. During the study period (July 2022 – November 2022), owners and operators of Market ARFs and RCFEs identified that 25.9% of their resident bed capacity was vacant or underutilized (approximately 6,400 beds), with the majority of underutilized beds located at RCFEs which serve individuals 60 and over, often with chronic health conditions.

47.8% of all residents of Market ARFs and RCFEs interviewed indicated experiences of homelessness at some point during their adult lives, with 10.6% of the residents interviewed reported moving into their ARF or RCFE directly from experiencing homelessness. Despite the significant proportion of residents who have experienced homelessness, 58.7% of ARFs and RCFEs surveyed reported having no contact at all with any homelessness services providers in the Los Angeles County Continuum of Care.

The study revealed that residents of ARFs/RCFEs have very high mean levels of overall satisfaction (8.55 out of 10.00), with the majority indicating that their housing felt like a home and community. Market ARFs and RCFEs owners and operators expressed very high levels of mean satisfaction with their roles and work in the industry, providing a mean satisfaction score of 8.87 out of 10.00.

Despite Adult Residential Facilities (ARFs) delivering the greatest amount of direct service and public benefit to identified, vulnerable populations, the future outlook for sustaining the Market’s ARFs can be regarded as critically-challenged. Owners and operators, along with Market Users, have identified low levels of growth and expansion in this license class of facilities, disproportionately low levels of public funding in comparison to other housing and channels of care serving other vulnerable populations, and few, easy-to-access incentives from government to support the construction or expansion of ARFs to serve vulnerable populations.

Funding for Market ARFs and RCFEs to address the issue of homelessness is not seen by Market Users or owners and operators to have been prioritized in public policy discussions or in media coverage, nor has it been consistently viewed by decision makers as either permanent housing or as a critical tool to address the issue of homelessness. Market Users, Market facility owners and operators, and community stakeholders all conceded that Market ARFs and RCFEs have been persistently under-resourced with regard to all varieties of public funding for many years, and that decisive action is required to address the inequities to fully support the costs of equitable service, housing, and quality of care to vulnerable individuals across all categories of lived experiences.The difference between provision of on-location (on the street, in a vehicle, in temporary/crisis/bridge accommodation) homelessness services and provision of Market ARF and RCFE services, housing, and care equates to a 39.4% reduction in costs to taxpayers, per individual, over the 2022 calendar year. At an estimated mean savings of $13,481 per individual served, per year, there is significant prospective cost savings to Los Angeles County taxpayers in serving vulnerable individuals through significant enhancement of public funding to congregate Market ARFs and RCFEs.

Given local and national trends indicating substantive growth in the numbers of people over the age of 62 who currently experience (or who may yet experience) homelessness, Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFEs) will play an increasingly important role in serving the specialized needs of seniors with experience of homelessness. Greater utilization of RCFEs within homelessness services policy, planning, and funding to house seniors experiencing homelessness with significant care needs is an essential component to successfully addressing this segment of the homelessness crisis, especially for those with complex, co-occurring care needs or with a lack of capability to live alone. Funding to bridge the gap between relatively-low public benefit funding levels and low- to mid-level market rates at RCFEs is needed to maximize capacity for the identified, vulnerable population with a significant supply of existing, vacant beds at Los Angeles County RCFEs.

This study is part of a multi-pronged initiative funded by California Community Foundation and Cedars-Sinai to stabilize Adult Residential Facilities and Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly. In partnership with the LA County Department of Mental Health and Department of Health Services, Brilliant Corners, and Genesis LA, the initiative also includes an ongoing effort to deploy funding to owners and operators of ARF and RCFEs for capital improvements to stem the loss of at-risk facilities, in alignment with the State of California’s Community Care Expansion (CCE) program. The CCE Preservation Program is being administered locally by DMH in collaboration with Los Angeles County Development Authority.

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