Creating Spaces for All
Providing Opportunities for a Fuller Life
Named for the Greek word meaning holistic, Holos Communities, formerly Clifford Beers Housing, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating spaces for all people. With the goal of providing opportunities for a fuller life, we approach the creation of spaces through a holistic lens as we work to end homelessness, combat global warming, and reverse racial inequity. Our spaces provide homes, services and jobs to individuals, families, and businesses while helping to strengthen neighborhoods and local economies. We measure the impact of our work by using several factors including the quality of life of our residents, the efficiency with which we can create new spaces and our ability to create innovative solutions to the complex problems we face.
Impact
The cost of housing affects us all; from those experiencing homelessness to working class families and small businesses fearing displacement from rising rents. We house over 750 people, 62% of whom identify as BIPOC. Having a stable and affordable home enables parents to save for their children’s future and helps students to excel in school. The construction and operation of our spaces has created 39 permanent jobs and over 1300 temporary jobs. Helping small businesses thrive keeps improves the odds of maintaining stable housing for its own owners while they reinvest in the local economy. Using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as a guide, we begin by meeting our resident’s physiological needs including shelter, air and water and hope to be able to move up the pyramid to tackle more complex needs like addressing mental illness, substance abuse, chronic health conditions, safety and belonging through our integrated supportive services in our buildings.
Innovation
The housing crisis is undoubtedly linked to the fight against global warming and racial inequity and require a holistic solution. We cannot continue to build affordable housing while ignoring drought or extreme heat; we must increase our resilience against extreme climate. We cannot build affordable housing without an awareness of how racism has resulted in BIPOC communities facing housing insecurity. We cannot be content to work within ineffective systems and with limited tools that are unable to produce as much housing as we need. The challenges that face us require a fearless positivity; building in the now while forging tools for the future.
Spaces
For us, creating spaces is an act of community building. Our buildings exist within ecosystems where people live, work and are provided opportunities to lead fuller lives. This includes a commitment to the creation of green spaces, building near public transit to reduce the need for cars and parking and the inclusion of commercial spaces that allow small businesses and their employees to thrive and combat gentrification — gentrification occurs when one group of individuals is displaced from their homes by another group with greater purchasing power. It is our goal not only to provide homes for our most vulnerable neighbors, but to provide a range of economic, environmental, and equitable benefits to the communities that we are honored to serve.
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Staff Members
50%
BIPOC Leadership
60%
BIPOC Staff
62%
BIPOC Board
40%
Female Staff
53%
Female Board
Staff
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Cristian Ahumada
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Dylan Coyle
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Yulisa Chavez
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Joseph Louie
Asset Management Associate
Joseph is an avid camper and loves outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, and backpacking.
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Lety Muro
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Leora Nessim
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Logan O'Phelan
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Audrey Peterson
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Michael Rangel
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Daniel Rojas
Senior Project Manager
Daniel once rode his bike from San Francisco to Los Angeles, and hopes to bike down the Baja Peninsula in the future.
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Matt Schauer
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Josh Siegel
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Mercedes Spina
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Dory Warton
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John Yoon
Board
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Mark Rasmussen
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Victoria Hunt-Weiss
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Arcy Olguin
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Asdru Sierra
Board Member
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Emma Chavez
Board Member
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Lynell Washington
Board Member
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Omar Hall
Board Member
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Matthew Haas
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Maryjane Puffer
Board Member
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Michael Shilstone
Board Member
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Nedda Ismaili
Board Member
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Claudia Lima
Board Member
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Michael Woo
Advisory Board Member
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Kamara Green
Advisory Board Member
History
Clifford Beers’s autobiography, “A Mind That Found Itself” (1908), was a groundbreaking tale of his experience in various psychiatric hospitals, where he and his fellow patients experienced horrific abuses. The bestselling book aroused a storm of protest and public concern about the care of people with mental illness. In his book, Beers called for the creation of a mental health advocacy organization that would work to improve treatment for those with mental illness, reduce stigma, promote recovery, and prevent hospitalization.
With Beers’ vision as the catalyst, the mental health movement in the US, which evolved into the organization known as Mental Health America (MHA), was born. Finding that permanent housing is key for health and well-being, Mental Health America Los Angeles founded Clifford Beers Housing (CBH) in 2005. Since then, CBH has successfully carried out its mission to develop permanent supportive housing for the most vulnerable. This model has proven successful throughout the country in reducing homelessness and increasing community reintegration. CBH became an independent organization in 2015 and changed its name to Holos Communities in 2022.
Awards
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King 1101 Apartments
National Design Award, Excellence in Affordable Housing by AIA (American Institute of Architects)
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Vistas del Puerto
Merit Award from the Westside Urban Forum
Enterprise Community PartnersCommunity Partner of the Year
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Isla Intersections
Sustainability Awards - Housing Innovation from the Southern California Association of Governments
Vistas del Puerto
Homes Within Reach Awards - Permanent Supportive Housing Development from the Southern California Association of Nonprofit Housing
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Clifford Beers Housing
Design Advocate Award from the American Institute of Architects Los Angeles Chapter
King 1101 Apartments
Los Angeles Architectural Housing Award from the Los Angeles Business Council
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Burlington Family Apartments
Project of the Year Award, from the U.S. Green Building Council
28th Street Apartments
A+ Jury’s Choice Award for Architecture and Preservation, from Architizer
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28th Street Apartments
National Honor Award for Architecture, from AIA National
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28th Street Apartments
Preservation Award, from the Los Angeles Conservancy
Award of Excellence in the Mutli-Family Housing category from the LA Business Council – Los Angeles Architectural Awards
Westside Prize Multi Unit Housing HONOR Award, from the Westside Urban Forum
Historic Preservation Award from the City of Los Angeles
Preservation Design Award for Rehabilitation, from the California Preservation Foundation
Merit Award forArchitecture from the AIA California Council
Housing Award at the World Architecture Festival in Singapore
Honor Award for Excellence in Architectural Design, from AIA Los Angeles
Special Needs Project of the Year Award from the Southern California Association of Nonprofit Housing
NoHo Senior Villas
Award of Merit for Best Seniors Housing Community, from Gold Nugget Award
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The Courtyards in Long Beach
Special Needs Project of the Year Award, from the Southern California Association of Nonprofit Housing
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The Courtyards in Long Beach
1000 HOMES Innovation in Community Improvement Award from the Urban Land Institute
Elm Avenue Apartments
1000 HOMES Innovation in Community Improvement Award, from the Urban Land Institute
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Elm Avenue Apartments
Long Beach Heritage Historic Preservation Award
Partners
Organization Funders
Creating affordable homes depends on a wide variety of funding sources, donors and foundations. Holos Communities is grateful to the following grantors that make our work possible.
Joint Ventures
Holos Communities has joint ventures with these co-developers.
Project Financing
Holos Communities extends our thanks to these funders for making our projects possible.
Operations
Our excellent service providers coordinate mental health, life skills, and other services to help our residents stay in their homes and improve their lives. Our professional, on-site property managers ensure that our buildings are beautifully maintained.
Property Management
Support Service Providers
Building
Our architects help us design sustainable spaces that meet the needs of the populations we aim to serve. Our contractors bring our vision to life, building new sites and adapting existing ones to create apartments for all.
Architects
Contractors
Consultants
Contact us
Don’t hesitate to drop us a line using the contact form below and someone will follow up with you as soon as possible.