Policy & Practice | Winter 2023

Center for Strategic Partnerships The Center for Strategic Partnerships was launched in 2016 after a Blue Ribbon Commission on child welfare reform recommended that Los Angeles County ramp up pursuit of public– private partnerships. Visionary leaders in both county and philanthropic circles, including now-CEO Fesia Davenport and Southern California Grantmakers (SCG) President and CEO Christine Essel, recognized their common goal of innovating govern ment systems to eliminate inequality and enable all families to thrive. To succeed, the two sectors would need to work in closer partnership. From the beginning, the center’s task has been to bring the two sectors together, drawing on our network of relationships, deep understanding of the sectors’ respective cultures, and passion for helping each of our partners do what they do best. Our team steps in however necessary to leverage the investments of all and ensure greater and more sustainable impact. That can entail anything from simply making introductions to pro viding fundraising support, subject matter expertise, and ongoing con sultation and project management to ensure success. Initially created under Davenport’s guidance as a pilot project within the county’s Office of Child Protection, the center quickly demonstrated the model’s success, bringing more than $5 million of private funding to support innovations to improve services for children and families in its first four years. In 2019, the center was made a permanent part of the County’s Chief Executive Office. Initially sup ported by 7 county departments, that number grew to 12 in 2023. Southern California Grantmakers serves as the center’s fiscal agent and is the mechanism by which more than 20 local foundations provide the other half of the center’s operating budget. To date, the center has brought in more than $43 million of phil anthropic funds to support joint initiatives. Equity and children, youth, and families have remained the focus. Through an inclusive stra tegic planning process, the center has

L.A. County Department of Aging & Disabilities L.A. County Department of Arts & Culture L.A. County Department of Children & Family Services L.A. County Department of Consumer & Business Affairs L.A. County Department of Economic Opportunity L.A. County Health Services L.A. County Justice, Care & Opportunities Department L.A. County Department of Mental Health L.A. County Probation Department L.A. County Department of Public Health L.A. County Department of Public Social Services L.A. County Department of Youth Development embraced four specific Priority Areas: Child and Family Well-Being, Youth Development and Empowerment, Health Equity, and Economic Security. Work in each of these areas contributes to an overall vision of an L.A. County where public and private systems seamlessly provide all residents the support they need to thrive. One Roof Los Angeles One partnership at the nexus of the center’s priority areas is One Roof LA, which is successfully fostering col laboration across county departments to create a more accessible and sup portive housing system for families and transition-age youth (TAY) receiving child welfare services. Families and youth in the child welfare system are highly susceptible to housing insecurity and homeless ness. Housing instability can delay family reunification, increasing both the trauma of separation and the burden on county systems. In addition, an estimated 37–44 percent of former foster youth experience homelessness. Two-thirds of these homelessness episodes occur within six months of aging out of the foster care system. 1 Department Support

Kate Anderson is the Director at the Los Angeles County Center for Strategic Partnerships.

Lisa Watson is the Principal at Watson Consulting Group.

Molly Moen is a Senior Consultant at Watson Consulting Group.

Jill Currie is the Principal at Jill Currie Consulting.

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