ABOUT
ELLA'S FOUNDATION

Ella’s Foundation is a Los Angeles-based 501(c)3 non-profit organization that began rendering its services to individuals seeking emergency housing.  This legacy began with Ella Craine, a local matriarch who kept an open door for all those who needed help.  Nearly 40 years later, Ella's Foundation continues this legacy by offering a "home" to men in our community that are in transition in their lives due to some life altering event, experience or circumstance.  We provide housing for adult males 18-65 years old, including veterans, those formerly incarcerated and those who are aging out of foster care

 

Los Angeles has one of the highest populations of disenfranchised and displaced individuals in the nation.  Leading this population are adult males, whose roles as fathers, husbands, sons and brothers have been replaced with "ex-felon", "addict", "homeless" and "mentally challenged".  Along with these roles are the stigma that prevents our community from helping these men restore their lives.  We believe these men are the most in need, yet are the most underserved.  By providing them with a stable, nurturing and structured housing environment we can begin the healing process to help them restore their lives and resume their respective roles in society.  With a mindset of "offering a hand up...not a handout...", we are committed to helping men build sustainable lives for themselves and their families.

 

Our commitment to help those underserved in our community is shown by the successful outcomes of the many and varying populations we serve.  These men, whose needs although varied, move on to become gainfully employed, overcome addictions, reunite with families, manage their mental illness, secure permanent housing and become productive members of society.  We believe that it is through the act of being of service that we can foster an atmosphere of change and tolerance to remove the stigma that accompanies homelessness, incarceration, mental illness and substance abuse disorders.