JOIN US at a STORYTELLING EVENT

bad News/ good news

For the forseeable future all our Stories From The Frontline Events are virtual.    

You can watch them anytime you want! Hear some amazing stories of how a home and support services helped folks recover from homelessness.

WHY NOT IN OUR
NEIGHBORHOOD?

We know Supportive Housing has transformed the lives of countless people struggling with homelessness. During our storytelling events, formerly homeless people tell their story of resilience and recovery in supportive housing. We galvanize our neighbors to take action in their communities. Go as a group to a town hall or city council meeting, or volunteer with any of the organizations identified as working on the frontlines of homelessness.

Help us create a movement that understands and embraces Affordable and Supportive Housing as an effective solution to end homelessness.  Join a compassionate community of engaged citizens to advocate for Affordable and Supportive Housing in all neighborhoods across Los Angeles County.

New Carver Apartments
DTLA Supportive Housing
95 Special needs units

HOUSING SOLUTIONS

BRIDGE HOUSING

These exciting images are renderings of the Bridge Home coming to Wilshire Center/Ktown. This project is scheduled to break ground summer 2019 and open by the holidays.

“A Bridge Home puts Angelenos on a path out of homelessness and into supportive housing.”
– Mayor Eric Garcetti

Los Angeles is uniting to end the greatest moral and humanitarian crisis of our time. Homelessness will not be solved overnight — but the City and County of L.A. are working more closely together than ever to bring unsheltered Angelenos back inside with homes, healing, and hope.

SUPPORTIVE HOUSING

Supportive Housing is what all experts say is the key factor in success for the chronically homeless. Some of the wrap around services offered are job training, counseling, and community support.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Affordable Housing is key to keeping people in their homes. Stagnant wages, and rising cost of living Affordable Housing helps give folks the breathing room to make ends meet and increase their quality of life.

The Six - Supportive Housing - DTLA 

18 of the 52 UNITS in this building are set aside specifically for veterans.

In the military,
“got your six” means “I’ve got your back.”

SUPPORTING RESILIENCE
IN OUR COMMUNITY

The PROGRESS of H & HHH

Prop H is the funding that provides services — on the streets, in the shelters, or at low income and supportive housing — to the people experiencing and recovering from Homelessness. 

Prop HHH is funding for 10,000 new units of Supportive Housing over the next 10 years. Supportive Housing are homes for individuals and families who have experienced homelessness or have been chronically homeless. Supportive Housing provides wraparound services, which may include education and job training, and mental health services. The emphasis of the loan program is to fund “brick and mortar” projects to house the homeless. Click on the Learn More button (below), for the most complete pamphlet on supportive housing, funded and developed by League of Women Voters, Los Angeles.

Beginning in Fiscal Year 2017-18 the Prop HHH PSH Loan Program awarded funding to nine housing projects that will provide 615 units, of which 416 will be designated as PSH units. Read more about the Measure HHH projects scheduled for construction in 2018. >>

OUR TEAM

Our team is a group of passionate, concerned citizens brought together by homeless advocates Marilyn Wells and Allison Schallert to better understand the solutions to homelessness in our local communities.  From attending neighborhood City Council meetings, to volunteering at local non-profits to advocating for development of Supportive Housing, our team of compassionate voices is growing. Inspired?  Join our team.

Marilyn Wells, Psy.D. is a philanthropist and advocate for people with lived homeless experience.  She works tirelessly toward ending homelessness in our communites by galvanizing neighborhoods to embrace supportive housing.

Marilyn and her husband, writer/director/producer John Wells, are co-chairs of the John and Marilyn Wells Family Foundation. Their philanthropic focus is education, ending homelessness, and helping women and children affected by violence. They are political activists and have given to schools, charities, and political organizations.

Marilyn works as a consultant and a fundraiser for organizations. She has served on numerous boards: the Rape Treatment Center in Santa Monica, Five Acres in Pasadena, and the Episcopal School Los Angeles. She served as Board Chair for Grace Center and for St. James' Episcopal School.

She has also served as Executive Director at Grace Center in Pasadena where she developed a Clinical Program to serve woman and children affected by family violence.

Marilyn holds a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University where she specialized in the treatment of domestic violence and child abuse. 

Marilyn was born in Denver, Colorado.  She and John have two children.

Allison Schallert has been a professional photographer for nearly 25 years. Among her clients are U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren; Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law; and the great advocacy organization Indivisible.  Allison and Marilyn have been friends for many years.  

Allison has spends much of her freetime volunteering, advocating and promoting the importance of workforce housing.   For the last two, she has turned her focus to creating change at a local level.  She remains dedicated for creating simple and straightward ways for everyone to take action.

Allison was born outside of Chicago, Il.  Her husband is a public high school english teacher of 25 years, and they have two children.  

Joy Mcmanus joined the SFTF team as a volunteer in early 2019 after retiring from a 26 year career as a corporate sales executive with Automatic Data Processing.  

A twenty-plus year member of  St. James Episcopal Church,  she also volunteers with St. Jame’s Soup Kitchen, and is expanding her activism as an advocate for the homeless in Los Angeles.   

Joy and Marilyn met through St. James’ Episcopal School where both served on the board and their daughters attended elementary school. 

Joy is originally from Memphis. She is married to Jeff McManus, a real estate developer, and former Art Director. They have one daughter, Kylie Ann

Liza deVilla Ameen is a marketing communications executive consultant with nearly three decades of dedication to the arts, culture and community.

Most recently, she served with the American Film Institute (AFI) as its Chief Marketing Officer where she led the strategic communications for its 50th anniversary and signature programs such as the AFI Conservatory, AFI Life Achievement Award, AFI FEST and AFI DOCS.  At the Annenberg Foundation, one of the country's foremost family foundations, she launched unprecedented projects such as the Annenberg Space for Photography and the Annenberg Community Beach House.

Her entertainment background includes Universal Music Group, where she participated in the industry's response to issues such as online piracy, parental warning labels and artist rights. While based in New York and Washington, DC, Ameen handled global brand marketing and corporate public relations for the Hard Rock Cafe, as well as community affairs for The Washington Post. Her non-profit experience includes the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, where she served as Vice President of Marketing.

Originally from Washington, DC, Ameen resides in Hollywood, CA with her son and husband, Cinematographer Samuel V. Ameen.

Christine Comstock Osmani has been a Creative Director within the arts and non-profit spaces for more than 18 years. Her passion is providing marketing/communications solutions to organizations who provide a positive social impact on the community. 

After her most recent post as Creative Director of the American Film Institute, she began creative brand consulting for such clients as Imagine LA, the John and Marilyn Wells Family Foundation and Upward Bound House. 

Christine is also a professional fine artist and spends her free time developing her body of work for exhibition, as well as focusing on youth advocacy and volunteering with community art programs. 

Marilyn and her husband, writer/director/producer John Wells, are co-chairs of the John and Marilyn Wells Family Foundation. Their philanthropic focus is education, ending homelessness and helping women and children affected by violence. They are political activists and have given to numerous charities, political organizations and schools. Stories From The Frontline is an initiative of The John and Marilyn Wells Family Foundation.   

STAY IN TOUCH

STORIES FROM THE FRONTLINE
137 N. Larchmont Blvd.,  #266, Los Angeles, CA 90004
323.798.4722

allison.jandmwellsff@gmail.com