2024 Project Highlights

California Department of Social Services Housing & Homelessness Division | January 2022 – Present

County-based, CDSS-funded rehousing programs are working on the front lines of California’s fight to reduce and prevent homelessness. The leaders and teams implementing these programs are under constant pressure to meet escalating community needs with finite resources. Over the last three years, Change Well Project has provided intensive technical assistance to nearly every county across the state—to deepen the impact of individual programs and to build stronger, interconnected rehousing systems with the power to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-reoccurring.

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In 2024, our team partnered with 27 county teams to design, scale, and strengthen programs to equitably house and provide services to individuals and families at risk of or experiencing homelessness. We helped counties establish solid program infrastructure, ‘braid’ funding streams to ensure program sustainability, deepen collaboration and coordination with diverse partners and stakeholders, and more. As always, we centered our efforts on creating systems-level responses directly informed by the lived experience of those experiencing housing insecurity. As a result, over 85 percent of these counties report that their programs are headed in the right direction—and are now having a greater community impact. 

California Department of Social Services Housing & Homelessness Division (CDSS) | January 2022 – Present

California’s tribal nations face unique challenges in developing and implementing housing programs that meet their specific community needs. For many tribal communities and Indigenous-led entities, intergenerational poverty and underdevelopment are the legacies of colonialism—and have resulted in an overrepresentation of Indigenous individuals and families among Californians experiencing homelessness.

California Department of Social Services Housing & Homelessness Division (CDSS) | January 2022 – Present

From housing navigators and administrators to case workers and service providers, the people operating rehousing programs are helping thousands of Californians to find pathways out of homelessness. Their challenging work demands more than just commitment; it requires in-depth knowledge coupled with a wide range of skills aimed at increasing program efficiency and effectiveness.

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Through our partnership with the state of California, in 2024 Change Well Project continued to deliver innovative Training and Workforce Development programming—to ensure that counties and tribal communities and entities have a prepared workforce ready to meet the needs of residents experiencing homelessness. In 2024 alone, we hosted over 90 training experiences, including learning communities, learning cohorts, and webinars, for nearly 2700 participants. Highlights included:

• Program Foundations I & II: Intensive learning to provide a holistic understanding of building a high-impact rehousing programs that can sustain times of change and funding uncertainty.

• Advancing Housing First: Deepening understanding and implementation of Housing First principles, ensuring they deliver the greatest possible impact for programs and communities.

• Disability Benefits Advocacy Fundamentals: Comprehensive training provided by attorneys to support advocates in successfully obtaining crucial benefits through SSDI, SSI, and CAPI for older adults and those with disabilities. 

California Department of Social Services Housing & Homelessness Division (CDSS) | January 2022 – Present

Reducing homelessness requires strong, interconnected rehousing ecosystems that weave together resources from multiple social programs to provide holistic support to those in need. The rehousing programs funded by the California Department of Social Services’ (CDSS) rehousing programs—including Bringing Families Home, Home Safe, HDAP, and CalWORKs HSP—play a vital part in these ecosystems.

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In partnership with CDSS, Change Well Project launched a Statewide and Regional Convening Initiative to deepen connections between the counties and tribal communities and entities implementing CDSS programs in key regions across the state. In the fall of 2024, we brought together CDSS grantees from across the San Joaquin Valley—including eight counties and two tribal grantees—to create our first Community of Practice. By fueling regional collaboration and innovation, we are discovering strategies to improve program outcomes and provide more Californians with pathways out of homelessness. 

Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, Housing for Health January 2023 to August 2024

The Enriched Residential Care (ERC) Program was created to serve some of LA County’s most vulnerable individuals, including those with severe mental illness who require 24/7 care and supervision to thrive. ERC places these individuals in licensed residential facilities—including Adult Residential Facilities and Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (commonly known as Board and Cares)— to help them remain stably housed and supported.

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Change Well Project was honored to partner with LA County’s Department of Health Services (DHS) to lead a collaborative effort focused on redesigning and deepening the impact of the ERC. Our team worked with DHS to increase program efficiencies—by developing systems maps, identifying resources to leverage, finding opportunities to streamline processes, and establishing new staffing structures with clear roles and responsibilities. To improve patient outcomes while sustaining budgets, we developed new standards of care with an associated rate structure, as well as a continuous quality improvement process to guide care within ERC contracted facilities. 

Los Angeles County’s Department of Health Services Harm Reduction Division and Department of Public Health-Substance Abuse Prevention Harm Reduction Unit June 2024-June 2025 

Harm Reduction Services are vital to supporting some of the hardest-to-reach populations. Los Angeles County’s Harm Reduction Steering Committee (HRSC)—which includes service providers and community members—works to ensure these low-barrier, non-punitive services are accessible to all those in need. HRSC members’ shared goal is to help service recipients stay alive and safe as they work to reduce harm to their health and well-being.

Los Angeles County partnered with Change Well Project to facilitate the ongoing work of the HRSC—to support increased collaboration, transparency, and accountability and to gather insights from diverse members and stakeholders aimed at advancing the equitable delivery of harm reduction services. Since launching this work, our team has helped HRSC members to build stronger relationships and renew their collective vision for expanding harm reduction services across the County. From creating an official charter to guide the HRSC’s decision-making process, to guiding internal work groups to advance the priority areas, to conducting site visits and listening sessions across the county, our team is empowering the HRSC’s members to build a strong countywide ecosystem to advocate for and deliver harm reduction services. 

Pukúu Cultural Community Services

February 2024 - July 2024

Founded by the Fernandeño Tribe, Pukúu Cultural Community Services invests in culturally grounded programs to connect Indigenous Californians with vital services and support. In 2024, Pukúu partnered with Change Well Project to reimagine the structure and operation of its One Stop Emergency Service (OSES) program, which offers temporary aid to hundreds of low-income individuals who are at risk of eviction or in need of essential services like housing, utilities, food, transportation, clothing and education assistance.

Through deep collaboration with Pukúu’s team, we revealed their primary vision: to fully prepare the organization to serve high-acuity people experiencing homelessness by 2026. To do this, we supported Pukúu’s team in developing a holistic approach to enhance its service delivery model—by braiding funding streams to increase sustainability, streamlining program processes, clarifying roles, responsibilities, and key performance indicators, and more. Grounded in that work, we produced a set of internal and public facing documents outlining new policies and procedures, as well as a funding and implementation strategy for a reimagined OSES, that makes the program easier for participants to access and navigate.

United Way of Greater Los Angeles, City of Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD), Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, and the Housing Rights Center

November 2024-June 2025

As part of the comprehensive approach to end and prevent homelessness in the City of Los Angeles, the United to House LA (ULA) Income Support Program provides cash assistance to eligible households at risk of homelessness, focusing on seniors and people with disabilities. Research has proven that homelessness is often one health or income shock away. The ULA program uses a unique approach to alleviating financial stress and preventing displacement—and will provide crucial insight into how larger, one-time payments can help stabilize housing and support increased stability and well-being for vulnerable individuals and families.

United Way of Greater Los Angeles turned to the Change Well Project to plan and implement the first phase of the ULA Income Support Program. In close collaboration with project partners, our team supported a rapid ramp up of the program, designing efficient workflows and an evaluation process and goals. Our Managing Director Rebecca Watson leveraged her expertise in public benefits and partnered with the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles to provide all recipients with comprehensive counseling related to public benefits eligibility. The program launched in February 2025, with assistance expected to reach 500 individuals by June 2025.

Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, Housing for Health January 2023 to August 2024

The Enriched Residential Care (ERC) Program was created to serve some of LA County’s most vulnerable individuals, including those with severe mental illness who require 24/7 care and supervision to thrive. ERC places these individuals in licensed residential facilities—including Adult Residential Facilities and Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (commonly known as Board and Cares)— to help them remain stably housed and supported.

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Change Well Project was honored to partner with LA County’s Department of Health Services (DHS) to lead a collaborative effort focused on redesigning and deepening the impact of the ERC. Our team worked with DHS to increase program efficiencies—by developing systems maps, identifying resources to leverage, finding opportunities to streamline processes, and establishing new staffing structures with clear roles and responsibilities. To improve patient outcomes while sustaining budgets, we developed new standards of care with an associated rate structure, as well as a continuous quality improvement process to guide care within ERC contracted facilities.