I. AGENCY INFORMATION
Overview: The mission of 1736 Family Crisis Center (1736 FCC) is to comprehensively help
children (newborns through adolescents), women, men, and families through crisis
circumstances, including domestic violence, homelessness, abuse, neglect, poverty, substance
use, post-traumatic stress disorder, and distress, and to improve their prospects for long-term
housing, safety, survival, financial stability, and success. Founded in 1972 as a community effort
to shelter homeless girls and boys sleeping on South Bay beaches, 1736 FCC has grown from a
single Emergency Youth Shelter to an internationally recognized provider of professional shelter,
treatment and prevention services for troubled children, youth and families.
Programs: Child/family services are provided through nine residential and outpatient sites all
premised on offering wide-ranging and life-saving care. Services are tailored to address each
client’s specific needs under umbrella programming including: 24-hour shelter intake, walk-in
and crisis response; suicide intervention; case management; individual/family/group mental
health therapy; extensive children’s programming; parenting education; life skills training (e.g.,
financial empowerment, communication skills, nutrition education); legal aid; employment
services; housing establishment; referrals/advocacy; and community education. Service sites are
located in high-need areas, and serve children and families in danger and crisis.
Populations Served: 1736 FCC serves runaway/homeless/abused teens, domestic violence
victims (all ages), homeless and at-risk veteran families, and low-income or crisis-inflicted
community members. The children served through the Emergency Youth Shelter program are
chronic, first-time, or at-risk runaways, and children who are kicked out and/or abandoned by
parents or guardians. They are living in dysfunctional/violent/life-threatening homes or on the
streets (with attendant dangers of survival prostitution, sex trafficking, drugs, gang coercion,
truancy, theft, etc.). In 2013-14, agency-wide, 1736 FCC served 5,200 unduplicated clients
directly and reached nearly 20,000 community members through outreach. Emergency Youth
Shelter demographics included: 85% victims of abuse/neglect, having fled or been thrown out of
violent homes; 61% female, 39% male; 12% 10-12 years old, 30% 13-14 years old, and 58% 1517 years old; 67% Latino or African-American, 17% Caucasian, and 16% Other; and 89% were
from L.A. County and 11% were fleeing from other counties or states.
Accomplishments: 1736 FCC’s Emergency Youth Shelter Program is recognized federally and
used as a model for other peer agencies for “best practices” training, programmatically and for
our Youth Advisory Board and Aftercare Program. In 2012, 1736 FCC was awarded a multiyear contract by First 5 LA to implement Parent Child Interaction Therapy, an evidence-based
practice focused on improving abusive/at-risk parent-child relationships, including teen parents.
In 2013, 1736 FCC was the only agency to receive both top-performance awards from the City
of LA’s Community Action Board for its FamilySource Center (including youth academic
advancement services) and Domestic Violence program. 1736 FCC also received two highly
competitive grants from the U.S. Departments of Veterans Affairs and Justice to assist
homeless veteran families and domestic violence (DV) families, respectively. 1736 FCC enjoys a
long history of policy participation and mentoring/co-mentoring with professional coalitions,
legislators, and service providers. CEO Carol Adelkoff served as political appointee and elected
Chair of the LA DV Task Force (8 years); Senior Director Debbie Nelson served on the Board of
the Western States Youth Services Network; and 1736 FCC is additionally active in the CA and
LA Homeless Youth Coalitions, County DV Council, and a number of regional collaboratives.
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II. PROJECT DESCRIPTION
A. Summary: 1736 FCC is seeking $1,000,000 in capital support from Everychild Foundation to
renovate a house it now owns in Mar Vista to create an optimal environment for its 42-yearstrong Emergency Youth Shelter program. Currently and historically located in Hermosa Beach,
the program serves homeless and at-risk girls and boys ages 10-17 desperately in need of safe
shelter and life-saving/changing care. The renovated Everychild Foundation Emergency Shelter
and Youth Program will become the program's new home and include: shelter, 24-hour intake,
24-hour crisis hotline response, 24-hour walk-in/drop-in services, counseling, case management,
life skills training, safe post-shelter housing arrangements, other necessary services as needed by
each client, outpatient services, and expanded community outreach and prevention education
reaching new schools, neighborhoods, and anchor institutions (e.g., police stations, hospitals,
youth-serving organizations). The shelter is licensed by the California Community Care
Licensing Division. The expanded program will serve an estimated 3,500 youth ages 10-17
annually through direct and increased outreach services throughout L.A. County. The proposed
funding period is January 2015 - December 2015, with occupancy slightly thereafter.
B. Critical Unmet Need: The currently-leased Hermosa shelter (a cottage) is more than 80 years
old, has major structural issues beyond repair, and is not built to code nor ADA compliant. L.A.
County has only five licensed nonprofit emergency shelters (approximately 59 beds) for
homeless children ages 10 through 17 (these are non-DCFS-restricted and take children in
true emergency situations and right off the streets); four of the shelters are operational at the
time of this writing. 1736 FCC offers six of the County’s beds for this extremely vulnerable
population. Unsheltered youth are three times more likely to be forced into prostitution and
twice as likely to be raped or assaulted and to exchange sex for survival needs like food.
Emergency shelter, when timely, individualized, and strengths-based, rescues these children
from immediate harm and/or death, as this case study illustrates:
For many years, “Jane” often witnessed verbal and physical assaults between her parents. At age
10, Jane told her parents of her repeated molestation by an adult family friend, only to be met
with angry accusations of blame directed at her. Jane’s isolation, fear and shame intensified. She
began cutting herself with razor blades. After increasingly violent attacks by her father, 12-yearold Jane and her mother fled their home and became homeless. On the streets, finding food and
safe refuge was an everyday struggle for Jane; her mother would disappear for days at a
time. Jane was alone on the streets. She became easy prey for sexual predators, and often thought
of suicide as her only escape. As her depression grew nearly unbearable, Jane was handed a 1736
FCC outreach card, and she soon made the call that would save her life. Upon entry to the
Emergency Youth Shelter, Jane was greeted with the warmth of caring staff, a hot meal, and an
assurance that she was safe. Her mother was connected with attentive care at 1736 FCC’s DV
shelter. Jane participated in intensive individual trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy and
reduced her intense anxiety and suicidal thoughts/behaviors. Twice daily group therapy in a
safe/nonjudgmental setting encouraged Jane to take measurable steps toward trust, selfacceptance, and long-term healing. With help from 1736 FCC, Jane and her mother secured
permanent housing, and are living safely together, with ongoing, regular check-ins, crisis
support, individual/family counseling, and parenting guidance. Jane has since returned to school
and excelled in 7th grade last year, participates in ongoing 1736 FCC therapy, and was invited to
1736 FCC’s prestigious Youth Advisory Board to give back and enhance her leadership skills.
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In a 2013 Homeless Count, L.A. Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) found a significant
increase since 2011 in the overall County’s unaccompanied homeless youth. Official estimates of
the population size range dramatically, due to the inherent difficulty of counting a demographic
that is transient and reluctant to self-identify, the lack of established best practices for
enumerating homeless minors, and the ongoing influx of unaccompanied youth from other
regions. What is certain is the disparity between community need and available resources, and
the urgent need to intervene to prevent physical and emotional harm. LAHSA reports 88% of
homeless youth as unsheltered each night. A Children’s Hospital LA study (2010) found 27% of
youth while homeless experienced hate crimes due to race, sexual orientation, and gender
identity. Moreover, 49% suffered clinical depression, 8% attempted suicide, and 18% had PTSD.
C. Description of Project: 1. Activities to be undertaken: Funding for the site renovation is the
only outstanding portion of the multi-year, shovel-ready project now in its final phase. The
project has gone through initial plan check. 1736 FCC’s architectural firm resolved issues
identified by the City’s review team, and re-submitted the plans at the end of August 2014 for final
plan check sign-off. Councilman Bonin’s office, which has funded and supported this project from
its inception, has strongly confirmed his continuing support, and will guide and assist should there
be any unnecessary holdup within City departments in permits or other actions and approvals.
1736 FCC anticipates permits will be ready for issuance by December 2014. The architects are
finalizing the construction RFP and project manual and will be ready to advertise the RFP by
November 2014. Further, three qualified contractors have submitted letters of commitment to bid
on the project and have confirmed that they can deliver the project on budget and on time. Once a
contractor is selected, permits will be pulled. Construction will commence on or around January 2,
2015 and take less than one year. The architects are committed to ensuring that the building
renovations remain within the project budget and timeline. 1736 FCC foresees no delay in
transferring its California Community Care license when the house is ready for occupancy. Once
the facility opens, program services will be ongoing. 2. How will grant funds be used? Grant
funds will support construction, contractor, and contingency costs.
D. Goals and Objectives: The main project goals are to complete the construction to provide a
new, expanded facility for the 42-year-strong program, and enhance 1736 FCC’s ability to rescue
youth 24/7 from the depths of despair, exploitation, and suicide. Outcomes will include:
 Provide program services for up to 3,500 youth (ages 10-17) each year as a result of this
facility and program expansion through direct and educational outreach services:
approximately 150 youth in shelter, 650 callers to the 24-hour suicide/crisis hotline operated
in the facility, and 2,700 youth through expanded outpatient counseling, case management,
24-hour drop-in services, and community outreach/prevention services;
 A seismically-enhanced, safer home that will more than double the current space available
for the Emergency Youth Shelter program (from approximately 1,700 to 3,950 square feet);
 Improved amenities including ADA ground floor access and bedroom, additional bathrooms
and counseling rooms, larger bedrooms, an appropriately-sized kitchen, and outdoor
recreational space (current facility has a single bathroom, a cramped kitchen not built to
code, and a small, rear yard that does not offer privacy nor space for activities);
 Improved ability to provide shelter services for youth. 1736 FCC cannot currently
accommodate disabled youth (e.g., wheelchair-bound) or provide separate rooms for
transgender youth or those who are ill.
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 Increased energy efficiency and green-jobs awareness for youth through planned
educational signage that address building elements impacting the environment and
connections with available resources for local youth green job training programs;
 Expanded programming for homeless and at-risk youth through the 1,350 square foot
Youth Empowerment Center, a structure connected to the facility, offering: 1) 24-hour dropin services; 2) counseling (crisis, prevention, individual, and family), suicide intervention/
prevention, abuse intervention, sexual assault intervention and education, job development
and financial planning education, and afterschool activities offering constructive outlets for
at-risk youth; 3) life skills, career options, interpersonal skills, computer/financial literacy, and
similar training; 4) Multimedia Technology & Recreation Zone, exposing youth to film
making, photography, music, and other therapeutic arts; and 5) adequate meeting space for
1736 FCC’s Youth Advisory Board and other community programming;
 Increased educational community outreach activities to schools, law enforcement agencies,
and other youth-serving health and human services agencies.
E. Evaluation: The evaluation criteria are: 1) the timely completion of construction activities,
transfer of the Community Care license, and subsequent building occupancy; and 2) the impact
of the new amenities and enhanced programming on youth served. 1736 FCC leadership have
experience managing similar projects and will work with the architect to ensure the project
remains on time and within budget. The new facility will enhance the trauma-informed model of
care and provide multiple, private rooms for group and family therapy and meetings with police
and social workers (as opposed to the current tiny private counseling room and open living room
used for group therapy.) Group therapy in spacious, private rooms will be more conducive to free
expression of client thoughts and feelings. Unlike the current facility, the Youth Empowerment
Center will allow for 24/7 drop-in and crisis response services, on-site group and family therapy
for at-risk youth/families, and career training and will increase the total number of youth
served. 1736 FCC will conduct focus groups and exit surveys with youth to evaluate the impact
of the new facility on their well-being and success. Staff will also use case files and hotline logs
to track the following projected outcomes: 90% of youth will exit the shelter to safe housing,
80% will make use of new life skills at 6-month follow-up, and 90% of hotline callers will be
connected to a resource to ensure their safety and survival.
F. Replication: There are very few licensed emergency shelters for teens struggling to survive
on L.A. streets. This project is replicable to address wide-ranging needs and effect long-term
positive outcomes for youth locally and nationally. It offers a good example of how with the
right community outreach and education, neighborhoods can embrace much-needed projects of
this nature rather than rejecting them due to “NIMBY-ism” (Not In My Backyard). It also offers
a model for how shelter agencies can creatively expand their programming and impact through
existing structures, while creating spaces to promote healing, recovery, and opportunity among
vulnerable, high-risk populations. 1736 FCC is absolutely ecstatic about sharing effective
program strategies and successes with other providers to support the development of additional
licensed shelters to address imminent dangers and urgent needs of homeless and at-risk youth.
G. Recognition: The 1736 FCC Board of Directors unanimously and joyously approved the
naming of the new facility in honor of the Everychild Foundation.
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III. BUDGET
The project budget was sent directly to Everychild members to preserve confidentiality.
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IV. BUDGET NARRATIVE
A. Budget Issues: This budget reflects construction-related costs and not the previously secured
campaign funds for site acquisition, early architectural fees, and operating costs. In February
2014, 1736 FCC’s architect and a general contractor reviewed the proposed budget and
concluded that although costs have risen in some areas, any building/material increases are
reasonably covered within the budgeted projections, and that the budget, overall, is sound; he
and two additional, interested contractors confirmed this assessment in August 2014. Once the
bidding process is complete, 1736 FCC is confident in having the team and the conditions to
accept and/or to negotiate modifications. During the contractor negotiation process, and
subsequent construction work, the architect will monitor construction to ensure that the project
remains within budgetary/temporal parameters. The renovation includes furnishings, some of
which will be transferred from the existing shelter and others will come from in-kind donations,
including a commitment from Phillips 66, or purchased as needed from contingency funds.
B: Other Sources of Funding: The project budget to complete the renovation and open the
facility is $1,285,565. 1736 FCC has raised or received commitments for the balance not covered
by Everychild funds, including: a $100,000 pledged matching grant from the W.M. Keck
Foundation, $95,000 from 7 individual private donations, a $20,000 commitment by Forever
Young Foundation for the Youth Empowerment Center’s Multimedia Technology & Recreation
Zone, $49,000 from an L.A. City acquisition/rehab grant, and the remaining $21,000, as needed,
once a winning bid is accepted, committed through 1736 FCC’s Board and community
fundraising events. Additional campaign funds previously raised for site acquisition and
architectural fees include $971,188 (of which $49,000 is applied toward this renovation project)
from the City of L.A. and $125,000 from Sup. Mark Ridley-Thomas.
C: Sustainability: The requested funding is the only remaining piece to moving forward with
the renovation and opening the new facility. 1736 FCC will have sustainable funding for the
relocated shelter program, which has been operating continuously since 1972. The majority of
operating funds are expected to be in place and remain stable, given strong historical federal,
state and local support and the clear community need that the program addresses. Current and
ongoing funding sources for services, building maintenance and program administration include:
U.S. DHHS Runaway & Homeless Youth Program (approximately $200,000 since 1978),
LAHSA Emergency Shelter Grant ($53,333 since 1999) and Supportive Services Grant (portion
of $201,000 since 1997), L.A. County DMH (portion of $154,000 since 1999), Probation
($18,000 since 1999), service clubs, foundations, corporations, and individuals. Existing public
contracts, which comprise nearly 80% of the program budget and are not restricted to a specific
geography within L.A. County, can be transferred to the new facility without delay. The
expanded, enhanced programming, including the Youth Empowerment Center, will open doors
to new funding opportunities, such as from private sources whose giving focuses on the arts and
career development projects. Additionally, the program is strongly supported by the community
through decades of in-kind donations (such as grocery funding, free healthcare services, back-toschool programming, holiday activities, youth mentorship), volunteer support and extensive
partnerships with local area youth providers, clubs, and schools. Given the long-term broadbased community and political support for the program at every level, 1736 FCC’s historic grant
and fundraising successes, and the Board of Directors’ strong commitment to this project, there
is every expectation of continuing to operate the program into the future.
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