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If you’re a young person impacted by homelessness, learn more about the free resources, care, and community My Friend's Place offers.
At My Friend’s Place, young people — ages 12 through 24 — can take a breath, move beyond day-to-day survival challenges, and take the first steps toward building the life they dream of.
What We Do
Every number tells a story. These 2025 stats don’t paint the full picture, but they reflect real moments of growth, connection, and hope.
Every day, nearly 4,000 young people in LA County are without a safe place to call home. Some have aged out of foster care with nowhere to turn. Others are escaping abuse or coming from families facing long-term housing struggles. Many have grown up without the support or guidance needed to navigate the challenges of young adulthood. Whatever their story, youth homelessness doesn’t always look like you expect — it’s often hidden, unfolding in cars, on couches, or in quiet corners of our communities.
It’s time to look closer.
Move past the myths and understand what young people impacted by homelessness are going through. Help us build a future where support, stability, and hope are within reach.
When young people walk through our doors, they’re met with warmth, respect, and a community that accepts them exactly as they are — with no conditions.
Provides young people with the essentials for day-to-day survival — food, clothing, showers, and access to a phone, internet, and a safe place to rest.
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Helps young people explore who they are, build new skills, and express themselves, while also providing support with education, employment, and access to vital resources.
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Connects young people with immediate shelter, longer-term housing solutions, and holistic health and wellness support.
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Young people in our community are requesting masculine clothing including pants, t-shirts, belts, shoes, hoodies, and sweatshirts. You can make an appointment to drop off clothing at My Friend's Place or you can purchase directly via our Amazon Youth Wishlist.
See Wish ListSchedule a Drop-Off
Gather your team of friends, family or coworkers and join us on Sunday, October 12th for Friend Fest, an afternoon of fun, friendly competition and community. Create a team, fundraise and compete in games, or cheer from the sidelines - everyone's a winner when we are raising funds together to support vital care for young people impacted by homelessness.
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This holiday season, you can make a meaningful difference in the lives of young people at My Friend’s Place. Join us by supporting our Holiday Event, hosting a drive to collect essential items, or contributing to holiday meals that bring warmth and connection to our community. Together, we can ensure every young person feels celebrated and cared for.
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Help us support the young folks and raise awareness around youth homelessness by running or cheering with us during the 2026 LA Marathon. Sign up for the LA Marathon, Charity Half Marathon, or LA 5K with My Friend’s Place! This event is perfect for families and welcomes participants of all ages. Whether you're a runner, walker, or using a stroller, everyone can join in!
Learn MoreYoung people come to MFP through the seasons. During the wintertime, young people come in and they’re sad. It's cold and lonely and they are coming to an unfamiliar place to access resources. Then they find out that we offer so much more than just resources– MFP hosts holiday parties and special meals. The young people come in and they start to feel welcome and start building relationships with others here. They learn about all the different programs like employment, education, and art programs. The young people begin to flourish. Watching them move from uncertainty and loneliness and seeking community, to becoming part of the community and then finding out they can better their life at MFP and it’s not pushed on them. That’s how I see the young people grow and transform here."
For decades now, My Friend's Place has been steadfast in serving our city's young people experiencing homelessness, welcoming them with open arms during times of crisis, vulnerability and need. I have seen firsthand the impact that MFP's support has had on countless young lives, not to mention the positive contributions MFP makes toward ensuring a safer, healthier neighborhood for all community stakeholders. The work performed by My Friend's Place is an essential service, led by an extraordinarily caring and compassionate group of staff and volunteers. If you care about the future of our city and helping our young people achieve their fullest potential, I urge you to join our community of support."
We could always get a meal and snacks at My Friend’s Place, but we also got so much more. We were able to get hygiene supplies, and participate in creative arts workshops. My Friend’s Place helped me get into shelter. But the most significant thing we found at My Friend’s Place was kindness."
Discover our latest thinking, research, and data on addressing and ending youth homelessness.
At My Friend’s Place, we know that belonging is at the heart of healing. When young people impacted by homelessness feel safe, accepted, and part of a community, they can begin to imagine—and build—a brighter future. To better understand how we’re fostering belonging, our Data & Impact team conducted surveys with young people at My Friend’s Place from January 8–12, 2024.
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Drop-in centers are safe havens for youth experiencing homelessness. We examine drop-in centers within a positive youth development (PYD) framework to explore the role social connections with staff on the psychosocial development and stability of youth experiencing homelessness.
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In this episode of Foster Care, Adoption, and Beyond: Untold Stories, Christian Quijano of My Friend’s Place and Chino Quinlan of the LA LGBT Center share powerful stories of resilience and insight into how dedicated staff and lived experience drive real change.
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