Venice Community Housing Is Transforming Lives Through Stable Housing

A new apartment building in the heart of Venice, California, stands as a testament to the successful work that Venice Community Housing (VCH) accomplishes on a daily basis. The formerly unhoused residents who now call Rose Apartments home are living proof that a home can be so much more than a roof over your head. It can also be a place of healing. 

Robert was blind, but he regained some of his sight after moving into the Rose Apartments and being connected to life-saving medical care. Aanti Sumaiyya suffered tremendous trauma while living on the streets and was mute as a result. Since moving into the safety of the Rose Apartments, she is able to talk and has even spoken publicly at VCH fundraising events. This is the type of transformative care that the organization offers its residents, according to Alie Kadlac, VCH’s associate director of development and communications. 

Venice Community Housing is a nonprofit housing developer and service provider that was formed in 1988 as a grassroots, community-based movement to combat rising rents, gentrification, and increasing rates of homelessness. “VCH is unique in that we provide property management, resident services and housing development all under one roof… and our tenants benefit from a continuity of services and effective communication between teams,” says Kadlac.

Another important aspect of VCH’s mission, and what Kadlac says sets it apart from other nonprofit housing developers, is the organization’s commitment to advocacy in support of systemic change and public policies that are pro-housing.  “Housing justice is a racial justice issue,” she adds. “Affordable, healthy, and stable housing is a human right, and racism is the root cause of homelessness and housing injustice.”

All residents who are experiencing homelessness come to Venice Community Housing voluntarily through L.A. County’s Coordinated Entry System, an electronic database network. But housing is just one aspect of what VCH offers its residents.  

“Our team recognizes and responds to the trauma associated with experiencing homelessness. The impacts of trauma on people’s mental health are cyclical and don’t just disappear once they are housed. Our case managers are flexible and responsive, and they provide support to our tenants in times of crisis throughout their entire housing journey,” explains Kadlac. Supportive services include employment and food assistance, literacy workshops, youth programs, after-school care, and health and mental health care referrals. “We build community through our programs,” says Kadlac, some of which bring residents together for social events like cooking or composting classes.

Success for VCH comes from getting as many unhoused people off the streets and into homes as possible and providing long-term support. In 2022, VCH maintained a 99% housing stability rate. This clearly highlights that once people move in, they are able to stay housed long term. VCH is addressing Los Angeles’ housing crisis head-on and making housing first a priority.