Can homelessness in L.A. ever be ‘rare, brief and nonrecurring’?

Elise Buik, president and CEO of the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, and Peter Laugharn, president and CEO of the Conrad Hilton N. Foundation, believe it’s possible to turn the homelessness crisis around.

Elise Buik, president and CEO of the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, and Peter Laugharn, president and CEO of the Conrad Hilton N. Foundation, believe it’s possible to turn the homelessness crisis around. (Al Seib / For The Times)

BY CORIE BROWN | Los Angeles Times

Earlier this fall, the chief executives of several local foundations gathered at the Southern California Grantmakers offices to discuss expanding their efforts to combat L.A.’s growing homelessness crisis.

The featured speakers were Peter Laugharn, president and CEO of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, and Elise Buik, president and CEO of United Way of Greater Los Angeles, both fervent believers that homelessness in L.A. can be, “rare, brief and nonrecurring” — a catchphrase among philanthropists deeply involved in housing issues.

The attendees, many of whom had to stand shoulder to shoulder along the walls in the too-small room, stayed for the entire 90-minute meeting.

Wealthy L.A. philanthropists loosen grip on donations, shifting money toward social justice.

“It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the scale of the housing problem in L.A.,” says Scott Koch, executive director of Reissa Foundation, a $65-million Santa Monica-based family foundation dedicated to improving the lives of vulnerable populations.

But it “fuels my optimism,” he says, to hear what’s happening on the ground to solve homelessness. Koch sees an “openness” to providing less traditional support, such as construction loan guarantees and direct investments in affordable housing.

“The city wasn’t looking at this as an emergency,” said Bass. “We are now.”

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