St. Joseph Center celebrated the opening of Berkeley Station, marking a powerful example of what can happen when vision, partnership, and persistence come together to create real pathways home. This milestone reflects the collective effort of our Youth Resource Team and the many partners who helped bring this project to life.

Located in Santa Monica, Berkeley Station is a 13-unit, four-story affordable housing development designed by Brooks + Scarpa. Completed in March 2026, it is the city’s first modular housing project serving low-income families and transitional-aged youth, with supportive services provided by St. Joseph Center.

We are proud to welcome eight youth and families into their new homes, including Malik and his daughter, Naomi.

St. Joseph Center President and CEO Dr. Ryan J. Smith recently joined the prestigious Frederick Douglass Human Rights Lecture series at the University of La Verne to discuss a roadmap for housing justice.

During the keynote, Dr. Smith explored the harsh realities of homelessness and shared his own personal journey. He reminded the audience that meeting this crisis head-on is not just about policy, but also about approach: “It’s not just what you do, but it’s how you do it. We believe in the power of radical care.”

Read More:
https://laverne.edu/news/2026/02/20/human-rights-lecture-explores-harsh-realities-of-homelessness/

Watch Full Presentation:
https://youtu.be/K7Qm8_dkQxU?si=vgfYvosLfxaiiwOZ

St. Joseph Center hosted a holiday celebration for clients and families at their South L.A. (SOLA) headquarters on Dec. 15 as part of Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week and ahead of Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day on December 21.

Source:
LA Sentinel

St. Joseph Center’s annual ChefsGiving in Venice was a huge success. Top local chefs, including celebrity Chef Bradley Miller, Emporium Thai, and Levain Bakery, served 150 guests to celebrate our 50th year of supporting the community.

“Chefsgiving is about more than food,” said Dr. Ryan J. Smith, St. Joseph Center’s President and CEO. “It’s about breaking bread together, honoring community, and uplifting the next generation.”

A huge, heartfelt thank you to Jimmy Kimmel, Molly McNearney and the Jimmy Kimmel Live! team for opening the ‘Big, Beautiful Food Bank’ to support St. Joseph Center and other local charities. This action is directly helping us provide stability and essential supplies to individuals and families, including those who are unhoused.

The late-night TV show Jimmy Kimmel Live! is stepping up to help during the ongoing US federal government shutdown by opening a new center for food donations.

The ABC program announced the program, titled “the Jimmy Kimmel Live Big, Beautiful Food Bank” on Instagram on Tuesday, just after Donald Trump reaffirmed his plan to block Snap benefits despite a federal judge’s earlier
order for the administration to use emergency funds to continue the food assistance program.

“Cutting SNAP benefits creates uncertainty for American children, seniors and families,” the post said. “To support our community members in need, we’re starting a donation center in our Hollywood backlot to benefit the @LAFoodBank & @StJosephCtr … If you are in LA, please come by to donate food and if you are not, please consider supporting
your local food banks.”

The latest report from six L.A. County homeless service providers shows that while progress has been made, we are at a crossroads. As St. Joseph Center CEO, Dr. Ryan Smith, shared with Calo News, “We are excited about the decrease in homelessness…yet tectonic changes are happening in the homeless service sector.” Historic funding cuts and ongoing economic headwinds are threatening to reverse the progress we’ve worked so hard to achieve. We are already seeing layoffs across the sector. In the words of Dr. Smith, “To sustain decreases in homelessness, you have to fund the folks who are doing the work.” We see progress when we allocate resources with our values. This is a critical time to advocate for sustainable funding to ensure that our neighbors continue to have access to life-saving services.