OD 4WRD
20 25 nual port
FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Hollywood 4WRD exists to do one thing well: act as a hub for a place-based, systems-level coalition working to prevent and end homelessness. We organize our work around four core functions service coordination, advocacy, education, and innovation which together build civic infrastructure
For most of our 15-year history, Hollywood 4WRD was entirely volunteerrun. In the last three years, we’ve grown into an organization with professional staff and the capacity to work at a larger scale, while staying grounded in our neighborhood roots.
2025 was a turning point. Results came into focus and we made deliberate investments in internal capacity so we can do more, shape systems, and respond to urgent needs.
As I assembled this report, I was struck by the scale of collaboration and seriousness of purpose across this community. It’s proof that when people trust each other and stay committed to a shared vision, real change follows
I hope this report inspires you, and I look forward to continuing the work together on behalf of Hollywood.
BrittneyWeissman
Brittney Weissman Executive Director, Hollywood 4WRD
SERVICE COORDINATION Sunset Fire Response
JANUARY 2025 BEGAN WITH A CRISIS. As Los Angeles faced the Eaton and Palisades fires, the Sunset Fire ignited closer to home. With City and County resources stretched thin, Hollywood had to move fast
In the early hours, H4WRD shifted into coordination mode, serving as a hub for information, communication, and resource activation. Through late-night calls, texts, and a steady stream of public updates and reshares, we kept the community informed and helped ensure that Hollywood’s most vulnerable residents had access to food, shelter, mental health support, and emergency resources.
We brought together more than a dozen community-based organizations and multiple government partners, including Council District 13 and 4, Supervisorial District 3, and the Department of Mental Health, tracked resources and moved supplies. The response was later recognized with a $20,000 emergency grant from Kaiser Permanente.
WE COORDINATE:
Member and provider meetings
Hollywood 2.Open Houses
Partner on Wellness days and resource fairs like Better Angels
Walking tours with Hollywood
Community Housing
Direct resource-sharing by phone
Local events at Homeless Connect Day, Heart Forward LA and the Hollywood Partnership
WE RESPOND:
Wildfires and extreme heat
Emergency shelter openings and rapid placements
Real-time facilitation and brokering for new investments in Hollywood such as welcoming partners like Homeboy Industries
WE KEEP SERVICES
Mobile clinics and mental health services
CalAIM housing supports
Economic development activation zones
Cal-AIM Application ADVOCACY
IN EARLY 2025, HOLLYWOOD 4WRD SET AN AMBITIOUS GOAL: apply to CalAIM, California’s “Whole Person Care” initiative supporting housing, food, transportation, and coordinated health services.
At the outset, coalition partners weren’t equipped to navigate the State’s technical systems as a unified network. Under the leadership of Ed Ortiz, Louis Abramson, Dr. Fiona Donald, Kerry Landry, and Brittney Weissman, partners built shared language, technical fluency, and financial frameworks translating on-the-ground work into state-ready systems. Thirty-five nonprofits participated in a rigorous analysis, shared data, and completed a complex financial model, submitting a $5M proposal by June 2025.
The contract wasn’t awarded but the impact was real. Partners now have clear financial models, a working grasp of state requirements, and far greater readiness to pursue large-scale public funding.
WE CONVENE:
Hosting gatherings
Creating forums with LAHSA, County, City, and businesses
Making Hollywood a testbed for ideas
WE TRANSLATE POLICY:
Sharing Measure A and ULA opportunities
Interpreting budgets (HHAP, Local Solutions Fund, TimeLimited Subsidies)
Explaining County housing restructuring
WE AMPLIFY VOICE:
Participating with the Greater LA Coalition on Homelessness
Coordinating messaging with partners such as the LA LGBT Center, My Friend’s Place, and The Center in Hollywood
Hosting conversations on budget and governance
WE GROUND ADVOCACY IN REAL-WORLD REALITIES:
Mobile clinic and street medicine coverage gaps
Referral feedback breakdown
Workforce shortages and funding needs
Board Learning Series: ULA, Three Years In EDUCATION
A CORE ROLE OF THE HOLLYWOOD 4WRD BOARD OF DIRECTORS IS SHARED LEARNING. Each year, the Board selects a critical issue and hosts a public forum to encourage informed, respectful dialogue on LA’s toughest challenges.
In 2025, the Board hosted “ULA: Three Years In” at the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre, focusing on Measure ULA, LA’s “Mansion Tax.” Housing leaders with differing views examined both the promise and the unintended consequences of this major housing finance policy, resulting in a candid, grounded conversation that modeled civil discourse beyond soundbites
We’re grateful to panelists Joe Donlin, Greg Good, Zerita Jones, Nella McOsker, and Shane Phillips, moderated by Roderick Hall. The conversation was recorded and remains available as a community resource.
Click to listen to the recording
WE MAKE SENSE OF NEW POLICIES FOR MEMBERS:
County governance changes and the new homelessness department
Measure A, CalAIM, and major policy shifts
Board Service, LA County Behavioral Health
MEMBER MEETINGS ARE LEARNING SPACES:
LAHSA answers questions in real time
Researchers and providers share what’s working
The Trieste, Italy outpatient mental health model
RAND-aligned evaluation and Opportunity Assessment findings WE INTEGRATE RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE:
WE CENTER LIVED EXPERIENCE:
Community spotlights, storytelling, and participant narratives
INNOVATION Linking Economy with Care
HOLLYWOOD 4WRD’S MOST IMPORTANT INNOVATION IS NOT A NEW PROGRAM, BUT A NEW KIND OF CONNECTION. Over the past year, we strengthened the link between Hollywood’s economic and cultural assets and the systems that support community care.
Through partnerships with The Hollywood Partnership, the Chamber of Commerce, the Pantages Theatre, and other local venues, business and cultural spaces became active sites of public good. Ticketed events, theatre lobbies, and holiday foot traffic were leveraged to support food drives, resource distribution, and community awareness connecting residents, visitors, and businesses directly to neighborhood needs
This work changed how partners see their role We are moving toward a more integrated local ecosystem one in which economic activity and social responsibility reinforce each other.
WE STRENGTHEN ECONOMIC CONNECTION:
Engaging business and cultural institutions as active civic partners
Using high-visibility venues and events as access points for care and giving
A model that other THIS CREATES:
New pathways for participation beyond traditional philanthropy
Shared ownership of community outcomes
WE THANK OUR DONORS AND FUNDERS
California Health Care Foundation
Cedars Sinai
Health Net
Hilton Foundation
Hudson Pacific Properties
LA County Department of Mental Health
is forward
Kaiser Permanente
Kilroy Realty
OpenAI
The Hollywood Partnership
49% REDUCTION IN HOMELESSNESS
In July 2025, RAND released findings from a rigorous point-in-time study showing a 49% reduction in visible unsheltered homelessness in Hollywood over two years. The work isn’t done, but the results are rare and worth recognizing.
The opportunity now is to build more together: find and create space for shared work, open new pathways for referrals and services, and keep strengthening how this neighborhood solves problems side by side. With the LA LEADS close-out, we’re also stepping up to launch a Hollywood all-volunteer count to ensure there is real data.
Our confidence isn’t just in the numbers it’s in this neighborhood and this partnership. The progress shows what’s possible. This is Forward.
