The Supporting Frontline Workers Fund Grants $2.5M to LA’s Strained Homeless Sector Workforce

Earlier this year, we began an important conversation on living wage and equity in the homeless sector workforce when we partnered with Cedars-Sinai for a two-year effort focused on the care and retention of workers in the homeless response sector.

We began this work by creating the Supporting Frontline Workers Fund to provide immediate financial support to LA’s homeless sector frontline workers. Today, thanks to funding from Cedars-Sinai and United Way of Greater LA, we’re proud to announce $2.5M in funds for 53 organizations. These funds will provide cash stipends between $500-$1,500 to over 3,000 homeless sector frontline workers in the coming months.

Los Angeles’s homeless crisis is exacerbated by the anxiety, burnout, fatigue, and turnover of frontline workers who care for our unhoused neighbors. These workers have been navigating the dual pressure of feeling the stressors of their clients while supporting themselves and their families through a pandemic.

Through this funding, we are providing some financial relief for the lowest-paid workers in the sector whose lives have been at the greatest risk. The fund initially offered $1M from Cedars-Sinai’s investment, and United Way of Greater Los Angeles joined to add $1.55M to support additional workers.

SJPLA strives for equitable processes and outcomes in our grantmaking, and we were mindful of making the application simple and the selection process centered in equity. We prioritized funding the requests of organization applicants with budgets under $10M, most of which are led by BIPOC individuals and leaders with lived experience of homelessness.

The Fund is a partnership through SJPLA’s Racial Equity in Homelessness Initiative with Cedars-Sinai to invest in the care and retention of workers in the homeless response sector. We are looking forward to lifting up conversations around wages by producing a living wage report and recommendations to public and private funders on closing the gap between current wages and a living wage.

We are grateful for this opportunity to partner with Cedars-Sinai and UWGLA to support the sector. We hope to spark meaningful conversations around the steps we can take towards justice for frontline workers and a sustainable workforce.