Hilton Foundation Awards $875,000 to Address Homelessness in Los Angeles and Fund Research to Improve Lives of Foster Care Youth

LOS ANGELES, March 4, 2009 — The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation today announced its board’s approval of $875,000 in grants to organizations focused on two of the foundation’s key initiatives in Los Angeles: homelessness and foster youth. The Weingart Center Association and United Way of Greater Los Angeles will each receive $300,000 to expand services for the homeless and those in danger of becoming homeless during the current economic crisis. The University of Pennsylvania will receive $275,000 toward a study of the condition of young adults who have aged out of foster care in Los Angeles County.

“The Hilton Foundation recognizes that many individuals and families in Los Angeles are in danger of falling through the cracks at this difficult period in our country,” said Steven M. Hilton, president and chief executive officer of the Hilton Foundation. “One of our goals is to provide help before situations become emergencies, and we know that the Weingart Center and United Way of Greater Los Angeles are especially equipped to achieve this.” Hilton added, “Many of our youth transitioning out of foster care also find themselves in very vulnerable situations, so we hope to find ways to better assure their success.”

Weingart Center Association (WCA), based in Los Angeles, will use the funds to support the development of a state-of-the-art Los Angeles Downtown Community Health Center that will serve the poor, both housed and homeless residents, and workers in downtown Los Angeles as part of the Skid Row Homeless Healthcare Initiative. Once completed, the Community Health Center will offer a unique array of medical and other services, in partnership with the JWCH Institute and the County of Los Angeles, which will help meet the needs of even more vulnerable populations. Dedicated to serving the homeless in downtown Los Angeles for over two decades, the WCA offers transitional housing and numerous other resources which create fundamental pathways out of homelessness and poverty for men and women.