La Ramona Family Housing: Bringing Hope Through the Power of Partnership

October 30 was an uplifting day for the community of South Los Angeles. After some time in the making, La Ramona Family Housing officially became St. Joseph Center’s first fully owned and operated housing community. An important milestone in St. Joseph’s shared commitment to ending family homelessness in Los Angeles.

La Ramona represents a significant transformation—turning a once-nuisance motel into a safe, supportive, and thriving community for families in South Los Angeles. Through Project Homekey, St. Joseph Center partnered with the State of California and the County of Los Angeles to acquire and rehabilitate this property into 20 beautiful, family-focused transitional housing units.

St. Josep’s Center is a long-time parter of United Way of Greater Los Angeles, and we are extremely proud of supporting and celebrating this life-changing milestone. Amid the dark times in the sector, the opening of La Ramona Family Housing is a shining light of hope for all of us who are committed to the mission of ending homelessness in Los Angeles.

“We did it together, in partnership. This is a good day for Los Angeles!” said Dr. Ryan Smith, President & CEO of St. Joseph’s Center. “We celebrate this transformative achievement with every single one of our partners as we continue building pathways of hope and opportunity for families across Los Angeles.”

During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Kelvin Driscoll, Interim Director of Homeless Outreach Program Integrated Care System (HOPICS), thanked St. Joseph’s for giving us all “something to celebrate and a place where hope lives.” That hope is especially a reality for survivors of domestic violence and their children who have found a safe place for healing and a fresh start.

Just last month, Delorie and her newborn found a safe home at La Ramona.

“We have been here for a month now, and my kids are happy. We get everything we need,” she said. “We used to live under a tent in San Pedro Street, but thank God I got a place here where they make sure we have food and other services. I’m glad they gave us a space here.”

St. Joseph’s Center has helped more than 2,480 families facing housing insecurity with transitional supportive housing, provided 29,000 mental health services, and nearly 41,500 meals last year.

For years, United Way has believed in and supported St. Joseph Center’s mission to provide low-income families, unhoused individuals, and children of all ages with resources and tools to become productive, stable, and self-supporting members of the community. From providing grants for interim housing support to this year’s funding to keep its access center operating for unhoused individuals to access basic services such as showers, case management support, referrals to housing support, and more.

Before converting the motel, located near Leimert Park, into La Ramona Family Housing, this motel used to be a place used for human trafficking, substance abuse, and other criminal activity, but thanks to the vision of Dr. Smith, this place has been transformed. “This place is no longer a place of harm but of hope. When I see the families here, I see me and my mom, finding a better future,” Smith said.

Nandie, who fled an abusive relationship in Atlanta, arrived in Los Angeles thanks to a Spirit Airlines credit and $40 just a year ago. “Thanks to St. Joseph’s, I was able to stay here and get the support I needed. I am back in school, my son is in childcare, and I’m just grateful to all at St. Joseph’s for seeing me as a human being in need. Their staff were like angels to me.”

93% of families in La Ramona find permanent housing after the six-month transition program.

LA County Supervisor Holly Mitchell praised this kind of family housing that allows the families to transition into permanent supportive housing but also to find employment training, therapy, and financial programs towards independence. “This is the best example of what housing first means. Amid all the other issues, Housing First works; research proves it. St. Joseph’s La Ramona is a testament of why housing first is the model we all should follow,” she said.

La Ramona Family Housing stands as a symbol of what’s possible when vision, compassion, and collaboration come together. Congratulations to St. Joseph’s Center and all its partners for turning a place of harm into a haven of hope.

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