My Friend’s Place
There are close to 13,000 homeless children living on the streets of Los Angeles. My Friend’s Place helps these young people build self-sufficient lives. Founded in 1988, My Friend’s Place has grown to become the most visited drop-in center for homeless youth in Southern California and the only center in Hollywood that is open seven days a week. MFP will use our grant of $4,758.34 to purchase a Mac Design Station which will expand and deepen their transformative education workshops focusing on graphic design, art, music production and multi-media design/production. In one year, over 100 workshops utilizing the Design Station will be offered to over 200 homeless youth. It will create new opportunities for staff to build rapport and trust with participants, which is essential in moving towards self-sufficiency. The youth who participate in the workshops are more likely to access traditional case management services, including mental health therapy and employment/housing referrals. These young adults will gain some technical training that can help them in the job market. MFP is open to young adults 18–24, and last year 1,500 youth visited the center over 28,000 times, including 700 first-time visitors.