Homeless Services

Suzanne Edwards-Acton, Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer

Suzanne Edwards-Acton joined The People Concern in November 2022. She holds a Master of Pastoral Ministry and a Master of Education Leadership. She has an extensive background in education, leadership, and equity-focused initiatives. Before joining The People Concern, she worked as a Middle School Principal, the Director of Jubilee Year Los Angeles, the Field Director for the Los Angeles Urban Teacher Residency, and the Director of Equity Initiatives for Community Partnerships for Teacher Pipeline at the Center for Collaborative Education. Suzanne is committed to fostering inclusive environments and ensuring equitable opportunities for all.

Patricia Lopez, Chief Administrative Officer

Patricia Lopez has dedicated 28 years to social services including 25 years at The People Concern. She oversees the Finance, Facilities Operations, Procurement, Information Technology, and Administrative departments. Patricia also oversees Member Services, which includes Money Management, Arts, Public Facilities, Food Services, and K-9 Programs. Her leadership philosophy is inspired by Mother Teresa’s words: “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”

Kait Peters, Chief Operating Officer

Kait Peters began volunteering with The People Concern before joining the staff in 2010. She holds an MBA and is a contributor to Forbes.com. She is also a participant in the California Anti-Racism Alliance. She leads Programs and Compliance, ensuring that services remain high-quality, client-centered, and effective.

Julie DeRose, LMFT, Chief Program Officer

Julie DeRose, ATR, LMFT, has been with The People Concern for nine years. She is a licensed marriage and family therapist and a registered art therapist with extensive experience in mental health, trauma-informed care, homelessness, and supportive housing. Julie leads the Coordinated Entry System, Outreach, and Permanent Housing teams, ensuring that people experiencing homelessness receive comprehensive services that lead to long-term stability. Julie is dedicated to creating innovative and person-centered solutions that empower individuals on their path to housing and healing.

Jonathan Harris, Chief People Officer

Jonathon Harris has 20 years of experience in human resources, operations, safety, payroll, benefits, and recruiting, with 14 years in senior leadership roles across nonprofit and for-profit organizations. Jonathon has been with The People Concern since early 2022 and oversees Employee Relations, Recruiting, Benefits, Safety, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Engagement, Learning, and Administrative operations. Jonathon is passionate about fostering a positive and inclusive workplace. His leadership is guided by the words of Mohandas Gandhi: “I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people.”

Brooke Slusser, LCSW, Chief Program Officer

Brooke Slusser, LCSW, has been with The People Concern since 2018. She oversees Access, Interim Housing, Mental Health and Harm Reduction services, Domestic Violence programming, and the agency’s clinical internship program. Before stepping into this role, Brooke served as Director of Mental Health Programs and has worked in the fields of substance use disorders and children’s mental health. Brooke first discovered her passion for social work while teaching High School English in New York City, where she started a poetry club that became a student support group. She holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Southern California, a Master of Arts in Education from The City College of New York, and a Bachelor of Arts from the College of William and Mary.

Angie Loch, LCSW, Chief Compliance Officer

Angie Loch, LCSW, has been with The People Concern since 2017. She started as Director of Clinical Administration and Training before taking on the role of Chief Compliance Officer. Angie leads Client Relations, Clinical Quality Assurance, Compliance and Evaluation. She began her career as a mental health clinician in Metro and South Los Angeles before stepping into leadership roles focused on compliance and professional development. Angie holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Loyola Marymount University and a Master of Social Work from the University of Southern California. Angie is dedicated to ensuring the highest standards of care and accountability in the organization’s programs. In her free time, she volunteers as an AYSO referee.

John Maceri, Chief Executive Officer

John Maceri has been with The People Concern for 25 years. A graduate of Western Washington University, John spent ten years in the for-profit sector before transitioning to nonprofit leadership. Before joining The People Concern, John served as the Executive Director of an AIDS service organization for twelve years, providing housing and support to people living with HIV and AIDS. John leads the Executive Leadership Team, as well as Development, Public Policy and Advocacy, Communications, and Housing Development. He believes in the power of perseverance, reflected in his favorite quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald: “One should be able to see that things are hopeless and yet be determined to make them otherwise.”

Since 1977, Sojourn has been meeting the emergency and long-term needs of thousands of domestic violence survivors each year. From our early beginnings as Sojourn Services for Battered Women and Their Children, we served the families of West LA as part of the Ocean Park Community Center team. When OPCC merged with Lamp Community in 2016 to create The People Concern, we became Sojourn Domestic Violence Services, a program of The People Concern. Sojourn continues evolving to this day, adapting to the needs of our clients and survivors everywhere.

Approaches to Care

Domestic violence is a unique field that works within the sectors of public health, social services, and the justice system – but doesn’t strictly fall under any of them. As a result, DV agencies use a multitude of approaches with regard to service provision…and that includes Sojourn!

Empowerment Model of Care

A philosophy and process which seeks to increase the capacity of individuals to:

• make their own choice

• transform those choices into desired actions and outcomes

Survivor-Centered Approach

This evidence-based model of care places human rights, needs, and wishes of survivors at the center of service delivery.

Cultural Responsiveness

A culturally responsive approach respects and responds to the needs of individuals as they relate to their cultural backgrounds, unique for of opression, and inherent strengths from the communities.

Harm Reduction Approach

A public health model which promotes reducing negative consequences associated with high risk behaviors, such as substance use or staying with an abusive partner.

Last year, 387 people attended support groups.

Support Groups & DV Education

Our peer support groups provide a safe, non-judgemental space for clients to talk about their abuse and healing. All survivors are welcome, including those in or out of the abusive relationship.

Housing Navigation

The housing navigator at Sojourn provides housing advocacy, case management related to securing and maintaining housing, linkages and referrals to housing resources, and more to clients.

Case Management

Trauma-informed support, service referrals, crisis intervention, advocacy, safety planning, peer counseling, and motivational interviewing are all included within case managment.

Client Accompaniment

Clients often need additional support during court hearings, when they go to file a police report, or when they have meetings DCFS. Sojourn offers accompaniment services for eligible clients.

Last year, Sojourn served 60 shelter clients.

Support Services

Our range of support services are also offered at the shelter including case management, therapy, peer counseling, court support, referrals, and advocacy.

Shelter Groups and DV Education

Shelter staff provide a variety of groups weekly including DV Education, Life Skills, Family group, A Window Between Worlds workshops, Parenting Education, and support groups.

Warm & Inclusive Environment

Our shelters feature a garden, outdoor playground, playroom, work area, library, security gate, video cameras, patio, full kitchen, laundry, and culturally responsive decor.

Children’s Program

Sojourn’s children’s program includes non-violent behavioral interventions, case management, family groups, and general enrichment activities.

Last year, the Outreach & Education team trained 3,250 people.

DV Prevention Education

The Outreach & Education team (O&E) provides prevention education trainings, curriculums, and technical assistance to students of all ages, DV survivors, and community organizations, as well as DV education to service providers, governmental agencies, and others involved in the DV sphere.

40-Hour DV Counselor Training

Sojourn’s O&E Department offers the bi-annual 40-hour DV Counselor Advocacy Training, which all individuals are legally required to complete in the state of CA before they can work or volunteer at a DV service agency.

Community Engagement & Outreach

Developing relationships and partnership in the community also falls under O&E, which includes tabling, co-chairing the Westside Anti-Violence Alliance, providing bystander intervention trainings, and support local advocacy projects.

Volunteer Program

Sojourn’s volunteers assist with a variety of support services, such as support groups, children’s program, court support, and more. The O&E department provides training and on-going education for volunteers. Please send an email to oeprogram@thepeopleconcern.org for more information about our volunteer program.

Last year, 258 people received pro-bono legal service from Sojourn.

Family Law

Sojourn’s Legal Director is an experienced family law attorney who can assist with issues including but not limited to: seperation, divorce, child custody, and more.

Housing Rights & Immigration

DV issues related to housing, eviction, landlords, rent control, tenant rights, HUD, VAWA, and immigration are also areas where our LD can provide support, guidance, and referrals.

DV Restraining Orders

Survivors seeking a DVRO are encouraged to call our hotline for a referral to our legal department, where they can receive support free of charge.

Weekly Legal Clinic

Every Monday night, Sojourn’s Legal Director hosts a virtual legal clinic where a dedicated group of volunteer attorneys provide free legal advice to those who register in advance.

Last year, our 24/7 hotline answered 2,963 calls.

Resource Referrals

Our hotline provides callers with referrals to community resources ranging from homeless services to psychiatriac services to batterer’s intervention programs and more.

Peer Counseling

Peer counseling is support and assistance, provided in a manner so that the survivor can discuss their feelings and experiences without judgement, criticism, or advice.

Crisis Intervention

Volunteers and staff workign on the hotline have received comprehensive training on crisis intervention techniques to provide immediate care to callers in crisis.

Direct Referrals for Sojourn Services

Survivors seeking any of the services that Sojourn provides – legal services, support groups, housing navigation, etc.- will be referred internally.

Stocks

A donation of appreciated stock, mutual funds, bonds or other appreciated assets can be an effective way to maximize charitable giving. Donating stock that has appreciated for more than a year, you are actually giving 20% MORE than if you sold the stock and then made a cash donation simply by avoiding capital gains taxes.

Please contact Josh Hertz at jhertz@thepeopleconcern.org or 323-334-9000 for more information about giving stocks. All inquiries are confidential.

Property

Donating real estate to The People Concern can help us continue our work for years to come. Like with gifts of appreciated stock, making a contribution of property that you have held longer than a year can eliminate capital gains tax – in addition to alleviating the burden of maintenance costs, property taxes, insurance or selling the real estate.

Please contact Josh Hertz at jhertz@thepeopleconcern.org or 323-334-9000 for more information about property gifts. All inquiries are confidential.

IRAs & QCDs

Starting at the age of 71, you can direct disbursements from your IRA straight to The People Concern through a Qualified Charitable Distribution. IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions are excluded from gross income for federal income tax purposes on your IRS Form 1040, and the gift counts towards your required minimum distribution for the year in which you made the gift.

Please contact Josh Hertz at jhertz@thepeopleconcern.org or 323-334-9000 for more information about making a gift through your IRA. All inquiries are confidential.

Bequests

The People Concern would be honored to be a beneficiary of your will or trust. Gifts can be a percentage of the balance remaining in your estate or can be a specified amount that is factored in. By making a bequest, you can plan a gift to us that will take effect only after your other obligations are fulfilled.

Please contact Josh Hertz at jhertz@thepeopleconcern.org or 323-334-9000 for more information about bequests. All inquiries are confidential.

Our Interim Housing Program is designed to support program participants who are transitioning out of homelessness. Program participants benefit from an array of basic living services during their stays including three nutritious meals a day, semi-private cubicles to sleep in, storage for personal belongings, mail service and more.

The People Concern operates Cloverfield Services Center, SAMOSHEL and Turning Point in Santa Monica; The Village and El Puente in Downtown LA; SOLAR (recuperative care) in South LA; and we are in the process of opening a 156-bed program in Lancaster. We do not operate walk-up shelters and program participants are referred in by partner organizations and outreach teams. If you are looking for services for yourself or someone else, please click here.

In addition to providing a safe and welcoming environment for our participants, Interim Housing offers programming that helps them stabilize their health and prepares them to successfully enter and retain permanent housing.

Participants have access to on-site mental health care services, wellness activities and intensive case management. Our multidisciplinary staff work alongside program participants to develop individualized housing goal plans and support them on their journey to finding permanent housing that best fits their needs.

The Wellness Program provides our program participants with psychosocial and life skills interventions to increase their resiliency, improve their health and increase their self-sufficiency.

Program participants have the opportunity to participate in a wide range of groups and classes, ranging from Coping Skills and Harm Reduction to Nutrition Education and Yoga, among other skill-based workshops. The People Concern is also home to the Skid Row community creative arts program, Studio 526.

We also operate a Wellness Centers in Skid Row, offering a range of mental health and wellness services, increasing our opportunity to engage those least likely to use services.

Clinical and non-clinical staff members have training in working with program participants with substance use and addiction. Our programs follow the principle of Harm Reduction, which allows us to meet people where they are in their journey and to take a holistic approach to minimize the harmful effects of substance use rather than ignore or pass judgment.

The Corporation for Supportive Housing describes Harm Reduction as “the only effective means of providing housing for many who have been homeless for the long-term.” This approach goes hand-in-hand with our “Housing First” philosophy, meaning that program participants can begin to obtain housing and receive supportive services while still working on their recovery. Reviews of Harm Reduction show it to be a highly effective approach for individuals who suffer from mental illness.

In line with Harm Reduction practices, The People Concern’s Narcan program strives to ensure no one living on the street dies from an overdose. Narcan nasal spray reverses deadly opioid overdoses, giving recipients another chance at life, but is harmless if used incorrectly. This extremely effective intervention is available at all of our sites, including our interim housing and permanent housing facilities and our walk-in Access Centers, and it is also offered by our interdisciplinary outreach teams as well.

The Wellness Program also provides a series of groups and workshops designed to help program participants develop a range of life skills, including emotion and stress management and drug and alcohol education.

The People Concern staff work with program participants to find opportunities to increase self-sufficiency, whether through public benefits or employment. Proof of income is a requisite for applying for and securing permanent housing.

Money Management

Once benefits are secured, people may choose to deposit their income in the agency’s full service Money Management program. As part of its service offering, program participants receive personal banking services geared toward improving financial literacy and helping people take control of their finances.

Micro-enterprising

Daybreak Designs, a creative goods microbusiness run by Cloverfield Services Center program participants, offers jewelry and hand-made goods for sale. Studio 526, a community creative arts studio in Skid Row, also sells art work created by program participants. Proceeds from sales go to the program participants and to fund operating expenses.

Job Training

The agency refers program participants to Chrysalis, a local non-profit employment agency, for job training and skill-building opportunities.

Stipends

The People Concern’s Stipend Program offers program participants an opportunity to assume a meaningful work role within The People Concern, in exchange for a monthly stipend. Roles available to program participants include gardening, meal preparation, etc. The program has been linked with increased self-esteem, decreased substance use and greater social interaction.

Program participants can receive medical care through outreach & engagement services, as well as in interim housing and permanent supportive housing.

SOLAR

The People Concern also provides recuperative care services at our interim housing site, SOLAR, in Compton. With meals, full-time nursing care, case management, linkage to permanent 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.

Wellness Connect

Wellness Beds at our other housing facilities offer space for chronically homeless individuals with acute and chronic medical conditions to recover and improve their health after being discharged from Providence Saint John’s Emergency Medical Department.

Recognizing the link between homelessness and mental illness, The People Concern integrates mental health care throughout our programs – from outreach to housing. Clinicians and therapists offer both individual and group therapy sessions to help program participants manage their symptoms and live healthier lives. Additionally, all staff receive Trauma-Informed Care training, regardless of program or clinical designation.

In addition to field-based mental health care, program participants can also receive mental health care services at The People Concern’s Wellness Center, a Medi-Cal certified outpatient mental health center in Skid Row offering counseling, psychiatry, support groups and more. To inquire about attending drop-in support group services at the Wellness Center, please call 213-537-0822.

Adhering to the Housing First model, our staff work collaboratively across programs and departments to identify “best-fit” housing that will meet the specific needs of each individual.

Housing First is an evidence-based practice to ending homelessness that prioritizes providing housing to individuals experiencing homelessness as quickly as possible without preconditions.

Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) is often the best-fit option for the people we serve who are struggling with co-occurring conditions and require on-going, individualized support to find long-term stability, improve their well-being and remain housed.

PSH pairs a housing subsidy with individualized, on-going intensive case management services that are delivered with a Trauma-Informed Care and Harm Reduction Approach.
Residents sign lease agreements and pay 30% of whatever income they have.

Outreach provides us with the opportunity to engage people in need where they are – on their own turf, on their own terms. 18 Outreach Teams across the County, from Malibu to Skid Row, bring integrated, multi-disciplinary services to engage those living on the streets without a home.

In addition to outreach, our Access Center in Santa Monica provides a safe and welcoming environment for our vulnerable neighbors. The Access Center offers meals, wellness activities, case management, and access to showers, laundry and lockers through the SHWASHLOCK program so that participants can meet their hygiene needs. Through our partnership with Venice Family Clinic, we also provide primary medical care on-site.

On the other side of town, Operation Healthy Streets is The People Concern’s shower and laundry facility located in the Skid Row neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles.

Additionally, The People Concern’s Wellness Center offers the community drop-in support group services and wellness activities, providing a welcoming engagement touchpoint for people looking to begin a relationship with The People Concern.

Upon completion, the Mollie Lowery and Frank Rice Center, will offer resources and stability to Skid Row individuals connected to our C3 (City, County and Community) outreach team.

In addition to outreach, our k9 connection program provides essential services and supplies so pets of people experiencing homelessness can be healthy, happy and safe through the PETS LANDING PROJECT; and helps disadvantaged youth build life skills through the experience of training and bonding with shelter dogs, both in school and virtually in the k9 ACADEMY.

What We Do

Domestic Violence Services

Where We Work

Kensington Campus

Campus Highlights

Suzanne Edwards-Acton, Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer

Patricia Lopez, Chief Administrative Officer

Kait Peters, Chief Operating Officer

Julie DeRose, LMFT, Chief Program Officer

Jonathan Harris, Chief People Officer

Brooke Slusser, LCSW, Chief Program Officer

Angie Loch, LCSW, Chief Compliance Officer

John Maceri, Chief Executive Officer

Last year, 387 people attended support groups.

Last year, Sojourn served 60 shelter clients.

Last year, the Outreach & Education team trained 3,250 people.

Last year, 258 people received pro-bono legal service from Sojourn.

Last year, our 24/7 hotline answered 2,963 calls.

Stocks

Property

IRAs & QCDs

Bequests

Money Management

Micro-enterprising

Job Training

Stipends

SOLAR

Wellness Connect