Serving Larchmont Village, Hancock Park, and the Greater Wilshire neighborhoods of Los Angeles since 2011.

Alexandria House is Urgently Seeking Funds for Major Acquisition

Alexandria House needs to raise $12 million dollars to buy an apartment building directly behind its current two shelters (shown above) in Koreatown to add more 39 more affordable housing units.

 

Alexandria House is looking for angels to help it raise funds to purchase an apartment building located immediately behind its two current shelters. The building is owned by the Immaculate Heart Community, and its location would make it an ideal addition to the Alexandria House Community, offering the opportunity to expand the organization’s essential work of housing and supporting women and their families.

“We are embarking on a capital campaign with a goal of raising $12 million dollars to purchase and renovate the building,” wrote Pam Hope, Alexandria House’s Director of Grants and Special Events, in a letter to the Buzz. “This opportunity allows us to provide an additional 39 units of low-cost, permanent supportive housing to individuals and families who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.”

According to Hope, they are trying to buy the property outright to avoid burdening the organization with excessive debt, and to dedicate future funds to building upkeep, supportive services, and staffing.

Not only does Alexandria House need funds, it needs it fast!

“Time is of the essence,” explained Hope. “The Purchase and Sale Agreement was signed by the seller late last week, and there is a very tight timeline to secure the funding to purchase this building and realize our goals for the future.”

The real estate market in Koreatown, where Alexandria House is located, is incredibly hot right now, and the seller is only giving Alexandria House three months to assemble the funds before they look to another buyer. Developers are buying properties, tearing down older buildings, and building luxury apartments, displacing low-income renters and contributing further to our homeless crisis, explained Hope.

Thanks go to Marilyn and John Wells, of the John and Marilyn Wells Family Foundation, who pledged $1 million to the effort this summer, when Alexandria House first learned it could purchase the building behind its main property.

“It’s astonishing to witness the number of women and children they have cared for in two houses of hope and healing. We are looking forward to watching Alexandria House grow with an abundance of room!” said Wells of her recent gift.

According to Hope, the building is a perfect fit for Alexandria House and the growing needs of housing low income families in LA. The building has a professional-sized kitchen and a large dining room/community room, so the organization can serve residents nutritious meals, and host educational and recreational activities. It also features multiple spaces for therapy and other essential services. Most importantly, the apartment property is only a few steps from the two current homes, making it very easy for staff.

All funds from the purchase of this building goes directly to the Immaculate Heart Community thus providing the IHC a way to further their mission and continued service to the poor and disenfranchised. Both Alexandria House and the Immaculate Heart Community are rooted in the justice work of two religious’ communities of women. The purchase of the apartment building will benefit both organizations.

With the help of longtime Alexandria House supporters and volunteers serving on its acquisition team, the charity actively pursuing all options, including turning to those that have given in the past, writing grants to corporations and foundations, soliciting generous individuals, developing Giving Circles, and taking advantage of the power of social media.

Alexandria House is used to working fast. And they it is used to working against all odds, as it has done for the last 25 years.

“While the politicians debate, decades pass, monies are wasted, and the homeless problem continues to grow to epic proportions – we commit to being fully operational within 6 months if funded!” said Hope. “We believe in miracles, and with the community’s help, we can make this miracle happen.”

 

The Kenmore Apartment building in the backyard of Alexandria House’s two current shelters. (photo from Alexandria House.

 

About Alexandria House
For over 25 years, Alexandria House has provided an array of holistic services and resources, including: emergency, transitional and permanent housing, intensive case management, referrals to medical care, legal support, job assistance, counseling, no-cost childcare, financial literacy, and a caring community of support. Children in the neighborhood participate in their free after-school program, teen center, and camps. In addition, they help the greater Los Angeles community, providing food, clothing, and other resources to those who are living on the margins.

Alexandria House’s programs are accessible, culturally, and linguistically sensitive and trauma informed. Stakeholders are at the core of giving critical input as we design our programs to best meet their needs. We believe that the success of our program is as a result of respecting the dignity of the individual and affirming the strengths of those that come here to create a better quality of life for themselves and their children – a quality of life that everyone deserves.

We have seen children take their first steps at Alexandria House, and then watched as those same children stepped across the dais to receive their high school or even college diplomas. We have seen our own footprint expand from one house to two, and then to a 16-unit apartment building. And over the years, we have witnessed a changing landscape of homelessness in Los Angeles.

The combination of housing relocation services and case management that we provide enables families to break the cycle of homelessness and despair. Families are involved in economic and social services after they become stable in permanent housing, and we continue to provide on-going support to allow for individuals to thrive and remain in their own home.

We document success by the number of families that move from homelessness into permanent housing and are able to avoid a reoccurrence of homelessness.

Since 1996, over 200 families have successfully completed our bridge housing program and established permanent housing. We are in touch with over 100 former residents and out of that number, 93% are still in a stable living situation. We continue to provide assistance for ongoing support to help families thrive and remain in their own homes.

We are grateful that many of our past residents continue as engaged members of the extended Alexandria House community in a variety of ways. Among their participation is through joining our staff, becoming monthly donors, participating in the Speakers Bureau, and providing support for the Alexandria House mission and each other.

Thousands of women, children and community members have received crucial services to keep them from falling further into poverty and despair. We provide hope, healing, and a sense of community in these trying times.

 

For more information on this project and how you can help, please contact Pamela Hope at (714) 603-3073 or [email protected].

 

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Patricia Lombard
Patricia Lombard
Patricia Lombard is the publisher of the Larchmont Buzz. Patty lives with her family in Fremont Place. She has been active in neighborhood issues since moving here in 1989. Her pictorial history, "Larchmont" for Arcadia Press is available at Chevalier's Books.

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2 COMMENTS

  1. Doesn’t the city have funds to buy this building for the organization? . Wouldn’t these funds come within the homeless services funds? Approaching the council person in the district is not unreasonable.
    Pressuring the city to invest in this project is a solution to an ongoing social problem.

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