Transforming Los Padrinos
From Juvenile Incarceration to a Home for Homeless Youth
History of Los Padrinos
After Los Padrinos’ closure in the summer of 2019, Jovenes and Los Angeles County began working together to transform the former Hope Center at the juvenile hall into a shelter for young women. Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall is the second oldest juvenile hall in the county of Los Angeles, and is located in Downey, CA. Established in 1957, Los Padrinos served as a temporary holding facility for children awaiting court proceedings, and was one of three juvenile halls located in Los Angeles County and overseen by the Los Angeles County Probation Department. In addition to the detention center, Los Padrinos houses a juvenile court. After several years of operations, Los Padrinos went under review, resulting in a $36 million expansion that allowed for the creation of two new housing facilities, nearly tripling the occupancy. After the expansion, Los Padrinos had the capacity to hold approximately 500 incarcerated juveniles, with ages ranging from 12 – 18. Los Padrinos’ population breakdown was 85% male, with the remaining 15% of women residing in separate housing facilities on the premise.
In December 1998, the Los Angeles County Grand Jury performed a management audit of Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall to assess the overall physical condition of the juvenile hall to determine whether the County has allocated sufficient resources for the maintenance, appropriately planned for replacement, and determined future needs. They concluded that Los Padrinos was an aging facility that experienced many years of unfunded maintenance. They recommended a list of repairs and improvements to be undertaken by the management at Los Padrinos. In the years since this judgment, Los Padrinos continued operating as a place of incarceration for youth, with a mixed track record which highlights the challenges that come with high levels of juvenile incarceration. After nearly six decades of operations, Los Padrinos closed its doors in the summer of 2019. Click here to learn more
“This project marks an opportunity to move away from youth incarceration towards more innovative solutions to address the crisis of youth homelessness. ”
Turning the Page
Jovenes & LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn’s office began discussing a new future for Los Padrinos in early 2020. The restoration efforts taking place at this facility represent a transformative opportunity to take what was once a place of incarceration and turn it into a home where young women can live with comfort and implement a plan for their future. This project meets a dual need facing LA County: there is both a shortage of housing for people experiencing homelessness as well as an over-investment in incarceration. Envisioning a new future for Los Padrinos is the continuation of Jovenes’ commitment to social justice and creating opportunities for young people to thrive. In Fall 2020, we converted a portion of the facility into a crisis/bridge housing program for young women who are experiencing homelessness, and on New Year’s Day 2021, we successfully moved in our first residents.
A New Direction for Los Padrinos
From Juvenile Hall to Bridge-Housing for Young Women
The first floor of the Hope Center has been converted into a crisis/bridge housing program for young women who are experiencing homelessness. This represents a transformative opportunity to take what was once a place of incarceration and turn it into a home where young women can live with comfort and implement a plan for their future. Up to twenty young women can be housed in this program at a time, with an anticipated length of stay between three to six months. Jovenes is well equipped to provide crisis/bridge housing at the Los Padrinos facility. This bridge housing is intended to respond to the immediate needs of homeless female youth in order to provide a safe and stable place to live while they develop a personalized service plan with their case manager.
We have transformed cells into bedrooms while creating spaces for our guests to learn, play, grow, and recover from trauma. Most importantly, we continue to provide the individualized case management and supportive services that Jovenes is built upon in order to give our clients an opportunity to hope and embark on a new journey.Click here to learn more
Facility Updates
Common Area After
The common area has been updated, with the previous furnishings replaced with brighter and more welcoming materials.
Bedrooms After
Each bedroom has been repainted and refurbished to be more welcoming and comfortable to each of our young women. There is now storage for clothing and personal belongings, as well as an updated and private bathroom area.
Classrooms After
We have converted three classrooms into multi-purpose spaces: a computer lab (pictured above), a professional space, and a recreation room. These spaces will provide a spacious and welcoming atmosphere for our youth to socialize, continue their endeavours, and relax.
Jovenes has renovated the interior spaces of Los Padrinos to create a welcoming and accommodating bridge-housing/emergency housing program for young women. We focused our renovations on three main sections:
1. Common Areas
2. Bedrooms
3. Classrooms
These spaces were renovated to provide a comfortable and inviting space for both our youth and guests in the facility.
If you are interested in helping continue to transform Los Padrinos, please contact Eric Hubbard, our Director of Development.
Facility Updates
Thank You to Our Supporters!
We would like to thank the following supporters for their investment in the Mariposa House at Los Padrinos:
- The American Beverage Association, Balance Calories Initiative
- Wells Fargo
- Kaiser Permanente
- The Hezlep Family Foundation
- The Peter & Candis Doerkent Foundation
Contacts
Jovenes, Inc.
1028 Pleasant Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90033
Phone: 323-260-8035
Fax: 323-260-8046
jovenesinc@jovenesinc.org
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