A medical emergency put Denise in the hospital for weeks. While she was there, her right hand needed to be amputated. “I went straight from the hospital to my car,” said Denise who is 52. “All my stuff went into storage. I had to give my dog to my ex-boyfriend.”
A friend she made during her months unhoused told her about a place called Bridge to Home and its interim shelter, services and meals. “Slowly, I started coming for lunch,” said Denise. “Then, I started to come for lunch and dinner. Then I filled out the paperwork, and shortly after that, I got a bed, and I couldn’t be happier. It was godsent. It really saved my life.”
In the next few months, with support from Bridge to Home staff, Denise expects to move into affordable housing.
Denise is one of about 100 people experiencing homelessness—including families with children—who have found beds at longtime service provider Bridge to Home’s Full-Service Interim Shelter in Santa Clarita. Inside the expansive building, residents and others who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness can get meals, a variety of services, counseling—and the calming panoramic backdrop of a rolling hillside.
Funding from the Local Solutions Fund (LSF), administered by the Los Angeles County Department of Homeless Services and Housing (HSH), has paid for a case manager, a housing navigator, and four beds at Bridge to Home—all essential for launching Denise and others onto a path toward permanent housing.
The LSF is a portion of Measure A funding that is allocated to LA County’s 88 cities, Councils of Government, and unincorporated areas to use as they decide, adhering to Measure A goals that guide all efforts to prevent and end homelessness countywide.
This fiscal year (2025-2026), the city of Santa Clarita received just over $476,000 through the LSF, which allotted $225,337 each to Bridge to Home and another provider, Family Promise—the two main providers of homeless services in the city. Another $25,471 supports a Task Force on Homelessness.
If Bridge to Home didn’t receive LSF resources, said Courtney Kanagi, the interim executive director of Bridge to Home, “We would do without a case manager—and being able to intake and assess people who come to our doors. It’s really important for us. We have people walking up to our building every single day. So those Local Solutions Funds give us the ability to allow more people to come and utilize our services here.”
And in addition to case management, “We help them with housing navigation,” said Niki Feast-Williams, director of interim housing. She added, “We get them document ready so they can go on to their new home.” Housing navigators are supported by the LSF.
On a visit to Bridge to Home’s shelter, Marco Santana from HSH’s Municipal Relations team talked with Mandy O’Connor, director of development at Bridge to Home, about the role of the Local Solutions Fund in supporting its work and programs.
“Oh, it’s vital,” Mandy O’Connor told Santana as they stood in front of a giant board on a wall in the Bridge to Home entry way. It was filled with the names of dozens of donors to the organization’s new building which opened in 2024.
“It takes a village to do what we do,” said O’Connor referring to the organization’s various sources of funding. “People have stepped up, the County has stepped up, the city has stepped up. People believe and invest in our mission.”
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Family Promise of Santa Clarita Valley has four light-filled units of interim housing as well as an emergency short-term housing unit, and a resource center. The organization uses its Local Solutions Fund allotment to provide rental assistance for families.
Carmen Garcia, the executive director of Family Promise, told HSH’s Marco Santana when he visited recently how much the funds have helped families in need.
“We meet families at different stages of housing and stability,” she said. “And we are able to support them staying housed. Without the Local Solutions Fund, we wouldn’t be able to do that as quickly as we do.”
Patricia, 53, a single mother with a 17-year-old daughter and a 13-year-old son, was living with her mother and uncle when the uncle decided to sell the home. A counselor at her son’s school referred her to Family Promise. “I came here and asked for rental assistance and there was the blessing, and they did help me,” said Patricia, who works part-time as a cashier. She moved into in the neighborhood of Saugus a month ago.
Families arrive at the doorstep of Family Promise in crisis. They were living with family and things didn’t work out. Or they were about to be evicted from their home.
“We had a family of five kids living in their van,” Garcia recalled. “They were parked by the bus stop so Mom and Dad could go to work. We got a call from [Supervisor] Barger’s office. Right away, they were here.” They were moved into temporary housing at another facility Family Promise operates in Castaic. “Now, they’re renting a home in Palmdale.”
When another struggling mother went to Family Promise, the organization helped get her an apartment. A Russian speaker with limited English, she gamely tried to express her gratitude. “I want to thank Family Promise for your help—my home,” she said laughing sheepishly as she stumbled over the words.
Then she tried another way. She let her smart phone translate her Russian into English and played it for the Family Promise staff assembled around her. “I reached out to this organization for assistance with housing payments as we have found ourselves in a difficult situation. They provided us with help. They continue to support us to this very day. I would like to express my gratitude.” She turned off the translation and smiled.
Marco Santana from HSH asked Tracy Sullivan, the community preservation manager for the city of Santa Clarita, how the city had used LSF dollars along with city funding.
“Homelessness has been an issue the city has been tackling for several years now and is a big priority of not only the city but the community,” Sullivan said, noting that both the Family Promise and Bridge to Home sites are on land donated by the city. “We also put in some general fund money to support our homeless programs. But it’s not only the city contributing to the service network. We also rely upon county funding, federal funding, and private donations. It’s all one collaborative effort.”
