St. Joseph Center in the News
St. Joseph Center works with local and national media to share news about our mission to address homelessness and poverty in the community. If you are interested in conducting media coverage of St. Joseph Center, please get in touch with us at publicrelations@stjosephctr.org.
- Joi Richardson, VP of External Affairs & Communications — jrichardson@stjosephctr.org
- Ty Andrews, Digital Marketing Manager — tyandrews@stjosephctr.org
Serenity Apartments Opens in South Los Angeles, Expanding Housing for Seniors
August 21, 2025
Los Angeles, CA
On August 21, Serenity Apartments—a new mixed-use, 50-unit affordable rental community for formerly homeless and low-income seniors—celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The $30 million development, located at 1623 W. Manchester Avenue, marks the City of Los Angeles’ 100th Proposition HHH housing project and will provide permanent supportive housing with 36 units reserved for chronically homeless and unhoused older adults.
St. Joseph Center is proud to serve as the social service provider lead for Serenity Apartments. Our team will ensure residents not only have a safe and stable home, but also access to on-site support, including case management, mental health services, benefits assistance, and connections to health care and community programs tailored for seniors.
The development was made possible through a public-private partnership led by John Stanley, Inc., Concerned Citizens Community Involvement (CCCI), and Innovative Housing Opportunities (IHO). Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, faith leaders from Southside Church of Christ, and community partners joined the celebration, honoring the vision first imagined by the late Dr. Carl C. Baccus in 1979. Future ground-floor space will also house programming by the Los Angeles Urban League, further anchoring the project as a hub of stability and opportunity in South Los Angeles.
Bread & Roses Café Feeds the Unhoused in a Restaurant-style Setting with Dignity
July 22, 2025
Los Angeles, CA
California Live’s Amber Pfister is in Venice Beach chatting with Chefs James Cunningham and Cristela Alvarado at St. Joseph Center’s Bread and Roses Café. Our eatery serves hot, nutritious meals to people experiencing homelessness in a restaurant-style setting that fosters dignity and respect. Meals are made fresh daily by a professional chef, and a dedicated case manager is on-site to connect guests to the services they need to get back on their feet.
Watch the full story:
https://www.nbclosangeles.com/video/california-live/bread-roses-cafe-feeds-the-unhoused-in-a-restaurant-style-setting-with-dignity/3750566/
Declining Homelessness Is Now A Trend In Los Angeles County
July 14, 2025
Los Angeles, CA
For the second year in a row, unsheltered homelessness is down across Los Angeles County and the City of L.A., beyond the margin of error. This is good news—and it matters. According to the newly released 2025 LAHSA Point-in-Time Count, unsheltered homelessness has declined by 9.5% countywide and 7.9% in the city, signaling real progress in the effort to move people off the streets and into stable housing. This marks the first sustained drop since the count began in 2005.
The good news continues closer to home. A new RAND study shows that homelessness is also declining in Venice, where St. Joseph Center serves as the lead for the Coordinated Entry System (CES). According to LAHSA’s count, on the Westside (SPA 5), homelessness has dropped more than 25% over the past two years, with additional decreases in South LA and Central LA, two other communities where we provide vital services.
Homelessness declined last year in Hollywood and Venice, but not Skid Row, new Rand study finds
July 1, 2025
Los Angeles, CA
A new Rand report shows a decrease in homeless encampments in parts of LA, but highlights the persistent challenge of individuals “rough sleeping.”
Read more about the shifting landscape of homelessness in the city.
Doing What Works: Innovations in Homeless Services
June 3, 2025
Los Angeles, CA
In this compelling episode of Doing What Works: Innovations in Homeless Services, Dr. Ryan Smith, President and CEO of St. Joseph Center in Los Angeles, shares his personal history of youth homelessness and how that lived experience shaped his mission to create a more compassionate and effective homeless services system.
From the influence of his mother to his first job as a youth organizer at 15, Dr. Smith recounts the journey that led him to lead one of LA’s most impactful service organizations. He walks us through the four foundational pillars of St. Joseph Center—Housing, Outreach, Mental Health, and Economic Mobility—and explains why investing in frontline workers and replicating programs like Santa Monica College’s Homeless Services Certificate are essential to ending homelessness.
This episode is both a call to action and a testament to the power of care, dignity, and workforce development in driving sustainable change.
Dr. Ryan J. Smith Shares Vision of Radical Love and Community at Mount St. Mary's Commencement
May 12, 2025
Los Angeles, CA