Lauren Gonzalez

Director of Full Service Partnership | The People Concern

“I believe that improving the access to health care services and culturally focused services is one of many factors to solving homelessness. This work needs significantly more BIPOC leaders in this work to ensure services and systems are meeting the needs of our communities.

Lauren Gonzalez is a proud 1st Generation Mexican and Filipina who began her career in mental health and social services by obtaining a degree in Mental Health Counseling from Hunter College in New York City. While in her graduate studies she gained experience working with the LGBTQIA Youth at a community walk-in center and in recovery at an outpatient substance abuse program in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. She continued to pursue her passion and commitment to serving quality mental health care to vulnerable populations when she moved to Los Angeles in 2012 where she worked as a Clinician with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Since 2017, she has been a leader in the homeless services sector as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor leading multidisciplinary teams working with the city's most vulnerable unhoused population under both DHS and DMH contracts. In addition to her leadership role, she has also facilitated trainings on trauma-informed care as well as the connections between trauma and mental health for Sojourn’s 40-Hour Domestic Violence certification training. For self-care she enjoys cooking, spending time with her two precious rescue cats Bowie and Rue, and thrifting shopping.