Having experienced housing insecurity while growing up in Los Angeles, Chris Contreras knows firsthand how housing impacts one’s health and ability to advance economically. He has seen homelessness become one of California’s most visible, intractable, and political problems - with Los Angeles County at the center of the crisis. At last count, more than 160,000 Californians are unhoused, with at least 60,000 living in Los Angeles County. Inspired to address this complex challenge, the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS) contracted Brilliant Corners - a nonprofit that provides housing and supportive services to people transitioning from or at risk of homelessness - to serve as the operator of its newest initiative, the Flexible Housing Subsidy Pool.
In his role as Chief Program Officer, Chris Contreras oversees this first-of-its kind public-private partnership, which pairs rental subsidies with tenancy supports and case management services to help Los Angeles County’s most vulnerable populations secure and maintain housing in a more coordinated and streamlined way. Since 2014, Contreras and Brilliant Corners have facilitated permanent supportive housing placements for roughly 10,500 formerly unhoused Angelenos through the Flex Pool.
7 сен 2024
