Thank you for attending our 2021 Homelessness Summit. This 2-Day Summit brought together hundreds of businesses and service providers to have honest, educated conversations on how we may move forward as a community in ending the crisis of homelessness in Hollywood.

Visit our Homeless Resource Page where you will find our “Pledge to Action” with a list of short-term and long-term action items for businesses, and a list of important links directing you to information, opportunities and resources for businesses to assist individuals and households experiencing homelessness.

The 2021 Homelessness Summit Recordings Are NOW AVAILABLE     

SELECT A SESSION BELOW AND CLICK “WATCH NOW” 

WATCH NOW Opening Remarks by President and CEO, Rana Ghadban and Chairman of the Board, Dwayne Gathers

WATCH NOW Session  – Our Current Governance Structure and its Effects on Efficient Programs                             

Who has the authority to lead us out of the homelessness crisis? Conversation will begin with what we have learned from our current system of governance across city, county, and state policy structures. Kerry and Miguel will converse on how our current governance structure has resulted in policy outcomes that have either hindered progress or have effectively worked at providing services to those experiencing homelessness and how we can move forward.

WATCH NOW Session –A Conversation on the Current Housing Crisis

Housing availability and affordability have been a key component around the conversation of homelessness in California. This session will begin with a presentation on economics of housing and politics surrounding the restriction of housing supply. Discussion will then dive into impacts created from the housing crisis and provide action-oriented suggestions to support all types of housing developments throughout our community.

WATCH NOW Opening Remarks Day 2 President and CEO Rana Ghadban

WATCH NOW Connecting with Providers: Forming Partnerships to Implement Immediate Action

Service providers are the backbone in the movement to move individuals off the street by providing whole-person care and housing opportunities. Panelists from multiple non-profits across the Hollywood and Los Angeles area will discuss their experiences, challenges, and what actions would make their services more effective for those experiencing homelessness. The discussion will also elaborate on why service providers are not the only ones who can tackle the issue of homelessness.

WATCH NOW The Intersection of Mental Illness and Chronic Homelessness: The Challenges We Face and Change on the Horizon

Housing policy alone cannot address the crisis of serious mental illness among people experiencing homelessness. This panel will explore policy and programmatic options to aid those experiencing mental illness and homelessness. Topics to be discussed include the shortage of psychiatric treatment beds at every step of the continuum, the development of an Alternative Crisis Response model to minimize burden on first responders, the need for intervention and treatment for substance use disorder, and the status of the Trieste-inspired Hollywood mental health pilot.

WATCH NOW The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Pledge to Action

What have we learned and what actions can we take to effectively alleviate homelessness in Hollywood? The final session of the Homelessness Summit will summarize discussion that took place over the past two days and what the business community can do in the short term and long term in working with community partners to end the homeless crisis. 

 

Louis Abramson

Louis Abramson

Member, Central Hollywood Neighborhood Council

Louis Abramson

Member, Central Hollywood Neighborhood Council

Louis Abramson

Member, Central Hollywood Neighborhood Council

Louis Abramson has chaired the Central Hollywood Neighborhood Council's Homelessness Committee since spring, 2019. An astrophysicist by training, he is committed to leveraging LA's vast data on homelessness to educate stakeholders and build programs to end human suffering. He is a founding board member of Hollywood 4WRD---a coalition of service providers, business leaders, and ordinary citizens seeking better solutions to homelessness---and runs neighbor-to-neighbor outreach events that have created hundreds of connections between housed and unhoused Angelenos. He is proud that Hollywood is committed to being a place where everyone has a home, and to getting there by building bonds of empathy and community between all its residents. Louis earned his PhD from The University of Chicago in 2015.

Bill Bedrossian

Bill Bedrossian

Chief Executive Officer, Covenant House California

Bill Bedrossian

Chief Executive Officer, Covenant House California

Bill Bedrossian

Chief Executive Officer, Covenant House California

Bill Bedrossian has served as the CEO of Covenant House California (CHC) since 2014. During that time, CHC has tripled in size and impact, adding additional sites in Berkeley and Oakland, with sites opening in Santa Clara, Anaheim, Hayward and another in Los Angeles in 2021.  With 25+ years of child welfare and homeless services experience, Bill’s passion for working with youth came from his parents, who were foster parents for 30+ years, and who adopted 8 of his 11 siblings through the child welfare system. Bill began his career in social work doing street outreach, residential care and behavioral modification therapy in Chicago, Illinois. He subsequently spent 13 years with the L.A. County Department of Child and Family Services as the agency’s South County Regional Director. Bill is currently appointed by the LA County Board of Supervisors to the LA County Commission for Children and Families, providing oversight of the country’s largest Child Welfare department.

John Billingsley

John Billingsley

Chairman of the Board, Hollywood Food Coalition

John Billingsley

Chairman of the Board, Hollywood Food Coalition

John Billingsley

Chairman of the Board, Hollywood Food Coalition

John Billingsley is the Chairman of the Board of the Hollywood Food Coalition.   He has also served as a co-volunteer Executive Director for the organization.  (He volunteered to come in and make a nice fruit salad one day . . . thus proving that anything can happen if you keep saying 'yes'). John also served on the board of the Aids Service Center in multiple capacities, primarily in board development, for 7 years. A professional film and television actor for over 25 years, he founded a Seattle based theatre company devoted to adapting fiction for the stage, which recently celebrated its 30th birthday, and he co-founded Seattle's most well-recognized private drama school, also still alive and kicking (if only sorta barely, sigh, because of Covid). He is blissfully married to Bonita Friedericy, also an actress, who helps to run HFC's food rescue/food sharing program (The Community Exchange), currently in residence at the Hollywood United Methodist Church.

Mark Echeverria

Mark Echeverria

CFO & Proprietor, The Musso and Frank Grill

Mark Echeverria

CFO & Proprietor, The Musso and Frank Grill

Mark Echeverria

CFO & Proprietor, The Musso and Frank Grill

Mark Echeverria is the 4th generation operator of the 101-year-old Musso & Frank Grill in Hollywood, CA. Since 2010, Mark has served his family as the COO/CFO of the restaurant and oversees all aspects of the business and operations. Mark and his father started a restaurant management and consulting firm which they offer services to iconic, family-owned restaurants around the country. Mark has participated in many restaurant panels and discussion groups in various parts of the country focusing on iconic brand management and best operating practices. Mark has been a board member of the Hollywood Property Owner’s Alliance and currently sits as a board member of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

Rana Ghadban

Rana Ghadban

CEO & President, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce

Rana Ghadban

CEO & President, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce

Rana Ghadban

CEO & President, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce

Jennifer Hark-Dietz

Jennifer Hark-Dietz

Deputy CEO & Executive Director, PATH

Jennifer Hark-Dietz

Deputy CEO & Executive Director, PATH

Jennifer Hark-Dietz

Deputy CEO & Executive Director, PATH

Jennifer leads the executive team at PATH, collaborating with senior staff on the organization’s strategic direction and business management. She directs all of PATH’s programming, which served more than 25,000 people in 2020. She also oversees administration, finance, fundraising, and marketing for the nonprofit, which has over 800 employees in over 150 cities throughout California. Under Jennifer’s leadership, PATH programs for families, Veterans, and regions statewide have grown by more than 20 percent each year. Working with local agencies, she recently oversaw the development of LeaseUp, a Zillow-like platform that vastly streamlines the process of placing people in available apartments. Jennifer came to PATH in 2013 from the Greater Los Angeles Department of Veterans Affairs, where she managed the nation’s largest program to help Veterans and their families find supportive housing. She serves on the Los Angeles Regional Community Veterans Engagement Board and previously served on the board of Partners for Children, South Los Angeles.

Chris Ko

Chris Ko

VP of Impact and Strategy, United Way

Chris Ko

VP of Impact and Strategy, United Way

Chris Ko

VP of Impact and Strategy, United Way

Chris Ko serves as Vice President of Impact & Strategy for the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, overseeing all its mission-based efforts in housing, homelessness, education, and economic mobility. In his time there, he helped craft the community coalitions to create and pass historic ballot measures around housing (HHH), homelessness (H), and racial justice (J). Chris lead the architecture of the Coordinated Entry System, which went onto become a national model after boosting priority housing placements by over 500%. Previously, he also served as an officer at an after school program in West Philadelphia and helped design Bank on LA for Mayor Villaraigosa, bringing 10,000+ low-income Angelenos into the financial mainstream. He presently serves on the board of Brilliant Corners and was previously named a Coro Public Affairs Leadership Fellow, a Next City Vanguard, and one of Empowerment Congress's 40-under-40 civic leaders and began his career as an Urban Studies major at the University of Pennsylvania.

Kris Larson

Kris Larson

President and CEO, Hollywood Partnership

Kris Larson

President and CEO, Hollywood Partnership

Kris Larson

President and CEO, Hollywood Partnership

Kris is the President & CEO of the Hollywood Partnership the organization charged with the management of the Hollywood Entertainment District BID.  He has held positions on both the public and private sides of community leadership and served as the President & CEO for the downtown organizations in Raleigh, NC, and Grand Rapids, MI, where he led both tax increment finance and self-assessment districts.  He earned a master’s degree in Public Administration from NC State University, was a Daniel Rose Fellow through the Rose Center for Public Leadership, and a former International Downtown Association (IDA) Board Member and Vice Chair of its Executive Committee. The IDA has awarded four Pinnacle Awards, their highest honor, to his projects in the fields and Leadership, Planning, Advocacy, and Marketing.  Larson also lives in Hollywood, and serves a member of the Hollywood Historic Trust and as an Honorary member of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors.

Kasia Mays

Kasia Mays

COO, CGI Strategies

Kasia Mays

COO, CGI Strategies

Kasia Mays

COO, CGI Strategies

350An accomplished hospitality expert with nearly 20 years of experience, Kasia Mays ensures customer satisfaction for all clients and is focused on luxury and elevated design to shape CGI’s community and make it a best-in-class residential experience. As COO, Mays oversees marketing and public relations, human resources, information technology and most importantly, CGI’s culture, mission, brand, vision and values. Driven by a strong sense of purpose, Mays’s unconditional passion, creative palette and drive brings extraordinary value to the CGI leadership team.

Kerry Morrison

Kerry Morrison

Founder and Project Director, Heart Forward LA

Kerry Morrison

Founder and Project Director, Heart Forward LA

Kerry Morrison

Founder and Project Director, Heart Forward LA

Kerry Morrison is project director for Heart Forward LA, a nonprofit whose mission involves “transforming the American mental health system through radical hospitality.” She responded to this calling in 2019, after spending 22 years leading the business improvement district (BID) in Hollywood on a growth trajectory from where it started as a six-block $600,000 experiment in 1996, to its 2018 renewal as a $7M combined Sunset and Hollywood BID. She has helped to build a coalition in Los Angeles County committed to bringing these global best-practices to a mental health pilot in Hollywood which will be funded by the Mental Health Services Act Innovations fund. She has served as a mayoral appointee to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) and currently serves on the HHH Citizen’s Oversight Committee. She’s been named to the Community Cabinet for the county’s Alternatives to Incarceration initiative. Kerry serves on the board for The Center in Hollywood and has been a convenor of the Hollywood 4WRD coalition since 2008.

Jerry Neuman

Jerry Neuman

Partner, DLA Piper

Jerry Neuman

Partner, DLA Piper

Jerry Neuman

Partner, DLA Piper

Jerold B. (Jerry) Neuman represents individuals and companies looking to obtain local government licenses, permits, rights or contracts. Respected for obtaining governmental approvals and public participation, when needed, for many of the largest development projects in the State of California as well as securing government rights and contracts for large and small companies, Jerry has extensive experience in complex regulatory and legislative issues. Jerry is and has been the lead negotiator and project coordinator for many of Southern California’s most important real estate, green energy, infrastructure, and governmental procurement projects. His experience includes obtaining environmental clearances pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Additionally, he has substantial experience in coordinating teams of professionals including architects, engineers, environmental scientists, community relations and communication consultants and media relations professionals. Jerry also works regularly with elected officials, organized labor and community and business leaders in connection with many of these projects and issues.

Phil Tate

Phil Tate

Senior Vice President of Development and Government Affairs, Kilroy Realty Corporation

Phil Tate

Senior Vice President of Development and Government Affairs, Kilroy Realty Corporation

Phil Tate

Senior Vice President of Development and Government Affairs, Kilroy Realty Corporation

Phillip M. Tate is senior vice president of development and government affairs at Kilroy Realty Corporation, serving as in-house land use and development counsel. He oversees Kilroy’s government affairs activities, and interfaces with government officials regarding various issues related to Kilroy’s properties. He specializes in land use entitlements, administrative and legislative advocacy, and environmental compliance involving, among other topics, the California Environmental Quality Act, the California Coastal Act, the Subdivision Map Act and California Government Code provisions related to land use and zoning. He manages various aspects of the entitlement process, including coordinating the work of technical consultants and representing Kilroy at public hearings and meetings with government officials.

Hazel Lopez

Hazel Lopez

Director of Coordinated Entry System and Community Engagement, The People Concern

Hazel Lopez

Director of Coordinated Entry System and Community Engagement, The People Concern

Hazel Lopez

Director of Coordinated Entry System and Community Engagement, The People Concern

Hazel Lopez is the Director of CES and Community Engagement at The People Concern, where she has been a committed advocate for solutions to issues of homelessness for the past eleven years.

Miguel Santana

Miguel Santana

CEO, Weingart Foundation

Miguel Santana

CEO, Weingart Foundation

Miguel Santana

CEO, Weingart Foundation

Miguel A. Santana is the incoming President and CEO of the Weingart Foundation, a private grantmaking foundation that partners with communities across Southern California to advance racial, social, and economic justice for all. Miguel has over 30 years of experience leading numerous fiscal, legislative, political, and community issues. He served as President and CEO of Fairplex since 2016, a non-profit community benefit regional organization based in Pomona, CA. Previously, Miguel was the City Administrative Officer for the City of Los Angeles, where he oversaw the City’s $9 billion budget and designed the City’s first comprehensive homeless strategy, resulting in a $1.2 billion voter-approved housing bond and a doubling of the City’s general fund investment on programs to end homelessness. Prior to joining the City, Miguel served as one of five Deputy Chief Executive Officers for Los Angeles County overseeing all social service programs supporting children, families, veterans and persons experiencing homelessness.

Chris Leinberger

Chris Leinberger

Charles Bendit Distinguished Scholar & Research Professor; Chair, Center for Real Estate & Urban Analysis, The George Washington University/ Places Platform, LLC

Chris Leinberger

Charles Bendit Distinguished Scholar & Research Professor; Chair, Center for Real Estate & Urban Analysis, The George Washington University/ Places Platform, LLC

Chris Leinberger

Charles Bendit Distinguished Scholar & Research Professor; Chair, Center for Real Estate & Urban Analysis, The George Washington University/ Places Platform, LLC

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Arnali Ray

Arnali Ray

Chief of Strategy and Programs Officer, Saban Community Clinic

Arnali Ray

Chief of Strategy and Programs Officer, Saban Community Clinic

Arnali Ray

Chief of Strategy and Programs Officer, Saban Community Clinic

Arnali Ray is the Chief of Strategy and Programs Officer at Saban Community Clinic, a community health center providing care to more than 20,000 low income patients a year. She has been with the organization over a decade and in her latest role, she has led the efforts to implement the organization's strategic plan and new cross-cutting initiatives. Arnali has driven efforts to develop a more robust program for those experiencing homelessness through key partnerships and government funded initiatives, resulting in greater access and better quality care for one of the most vulnerable populations in the community.

In addition, Arnali has served as a board member on the Mid-City West Community Council since 2019. She is the Chair of the Homelessness, Refugees, and Renters’ Rights Committee and a member of the Social and Racial Equity Committee member. Arnali is actively involved in two coalitions focused on people experiencing homelessness, Midtown Los Angeles Homeless Coalition and Hollywood 4WRD.

Alex Sato

Alex Sato

Director of Operations, The Center in Hollywood

Alex Sato

Director of Operations, The Center in Hollywood

Alex Sato

Director of Operations, The Center in Hollywood

Alex Sato serves as the Director of Operations with The Center in Hollywood. She has worked with The Center for over six years seeking to end isolation of those experiencing homelessness. She previously managed The Center’s CES system and continually works to support unhoused neighbors.

Dr. Diane Tanaka

Dr. Diane Tanaka

Medical Director of the Homeless Adolescent and Young Adult Wellness Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Dr. Diane Tanaka

Medical Director of the Homeless Adolescent and Young Adult Wellness Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Dr. Diane Tanaka

Medical Director of the Homeless Adolescent and Young Adult Wellness Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Diane Tanaka, MD is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Clinician-Educator.  She is a native of Los Angeles and earned her medical degree from UC Davis. She completed her pediatric residency at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and her adolescent medicine fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. For over 20 years, Dr. Tanaka has dedicated her career to providing innovative evidence-based medical care to adolescents and young adults, with a focus on at-risk youth, including substance abuse, complex trauma, and homelessness. She delivers trauma-informed care to youth experiencing homelessness and has provided keynote speeches at national homeless youth conferences. Dr. Tanaka is the medical director of the Homeless Adolescent and Young Adult Wellness Center at Children’s Hospital of LA.

Sarah Dusseault

Sarah Dusseault

Commissioner, Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority

Sarah Dusseault

Commissioner, Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority

Sarah Dusseault

Commissioner, Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority

Sarah serves on the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) Commission, the joint city-county agency that coordinates housing and services for homeless individuals and families in Los Angeles County. As Commission Chair from 2019 to 2020, Sarah helped lead COVID-relief efforts such as the implementation of Project Roomkey, which has provided emergency housing to more than 5,000 individuals in Los Angeles. Sarah has served as chief policy advisor to numerous elected officials and candidates, including Los Angeles Mayor Jim Hahn for whom she served as Deputy Mayor for Housing and Homelessness where she led efforts to revitalize Downtown L.A. and oversaw the creation of city’s affordable housing trust fund — the largest of its kind in America at that time. Sarah also served as Senior Policy Advisor to Mayor Eric Garcetti during his 2013 mayoral campaign, and during his tenure as President of the City Council. She was most recently Chief of Staff to L.A. City Councilmember David Ryu.

Anthony Dedousis

Anthony Dedousis

Director of Policy and Research, Abundant Housing LA

Anthony Dedousis

Director of Policy and Research, Abundant Housing LA

Anthony Dedousis

Director of Policy and Research, Abundant Housing LA

Dr. Jonathan Sherin

Dr. Jonathan Sherin

Director, Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health

Dr. Jonathan Sherin

Director, Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health

Dr. Jonathan Sherin

Director, Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health

Dr. Jonathan Sherin is a longtime wellbeing advocate who has worked tirelessly throughout his career on behalf of vulnerable populations. In his current role as Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH), he oversees the largest public mental health system in the United States with an annual budget approaching $3 billion. Prior to joining LACDMH, Dr. Sherin served for over a decade at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) where he held a variety of posts, most recently as chief of mental health for the Miami VA Healthcare System. He has also held a variety of academic posts, formerly as vice-chairman for the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Miami, and currently as volunteer clinical professor at both UCLA and USC.

Yanira Lima

Yanira Lima

Acting Chief, Treatment Services Branch - Systems of Care Substance Abuse Prevention and Control Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Yanira Lima

Acting Chief, Treatment Services Branch - Systems of Care Substance Abuse Prevention and Control Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Yanira Lima

Acting Chief, Treatment Services Branch - Systems of Care Substance Abuse Prevention and Control Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Yanira A. Lima is with the County of Los Angeles-Department of Public Health, Substance Abuse Prevention and Control (DPH-SAPC). The Division of DPH-SAPC is tasked with leading and administering the delivery of a full spectrum of prevention, treatment, and recovery support services aimed at reducing the impact of substance abuse and dependence in Los Angeles County. Services are provided through contracts with over 150 community-based organizations providing services out of 443 locations countywide. Services provided by DPH-SAPC are aimed at individuals who are uninsured and/or underinsured. As the Acting Chief of the Treatment Services Branch, Systems of Care section, Ms. Lima manages early intervention services aimed as youth and adult populations, pre-treatment services inclusive of homeless outreach and engagement, and assists with the continued implementation and operation of a full continuum of substance use disorder treatment services offered under the County’s Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System. In this role Ms. Lima has led the design and expansion of navigation services through the Client Engagement and Navigation Services network which supports approximately 80 co-located sites at State, County and other priority locations throughout the County. Ms. Lima also oversees the planning and implementation of Measure H-funded treatment and recovery bridge housing benefits for individuals experiencing homelessness. In her 17 years of working in the substance use treatment field, she has also overseen a number of publicly funded programs for individuals involved in the criminal justice-system, families and children, and most recently youth populations.
Ms. Lima holds a Master’s in Public Administration, and a Master’s in HealthCare Management.

 

Room for Success sponsors are also recognized as sponsors of our 2-Day Homelessness Summit as all proceeds from the Summit will be contributed to the Hollywood Chamber Community Foundation’s Room for Success program which is designed to empower the lives of local college students experiencing homelessness by providing them with a safe place to live and connecting them with local partners that provide support services and resources.

All proceeds from this event will go towards the Hollywood Chamber Community Foundation’s Room for Success Program. Room for Success is a program designed to empower the lives of local college students experiencing homelessness by providing them with a safe place to live and connecting them with local partners that provide support services and resources. 

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