First step, is find out what SPA area you are in. SPA stands for Service Planning Area.
A Service Planning Area is a specific geographic region within Los Angeles County. Due to the large size of LA County (4,300 square miles), it has been divided into 8 service provider areas. You can always call 211 and they can tell you what SPA area you are in. But below is a general guide to the regions and the corresponding SPA number.
SPA 1 = Antelope Valley
SPA 2 = San Fernando Valley
SPA 3 = San Gabriel region
SPA 4 = Metro region (Hancock Park, Los Feliz, Boyle Heights, Hollywood Hills, Korea Town Eagle Rock, Hollywood, Chinatown, El Sereno Park, La Brea, Echo Park, Glassell Park, Mount Olympus, Westlake, Highland Park, Silverlake, & Monterey Hills)
SPA 5 = West Los Angeles Area (Bel Air, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Pacific Palisades, Malibu Marina Del Rey, Santa Monica, Venice, Westchester & Westwood)
SPA 6 = South LA (Compton, Crenshaw, Florence, Lynwood, Paramount, Rosewood, Watts West Adams, Willowbrook, & Windsor Hills).
SPA 7 = East LA (Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Hawaiian Gardens, Lakewood, Norwalk, Signal Hill, City of Commerce, East Los Angeles, Montebello, Bell, Bell Gardens, Cudahy, Downey, Huntington Park, Maywood, South Gate, Vernon, La Habra Heights, Pico, Rivera Santa Fe Springs)
SPA 8 = South Bay (Avalon, Carson, El Segundo, Gardena, Palos, Hawthorne Ranch, Hermosa Beach, Inglewood, Lawndale, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Manhattan Beach, Verdes Estates, Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Rolling Hills, & Torrance)
Within each SPA area, there is one agency that is designated to be the CES center. CES stands for Coordinated Entry Service. This is the agency that you need to contact if you are homeless or in danger of becoming homeless. The CES agency will be able to provide instruction on how to obtain a shelter bed if needed, local food pantries, case management services, employment assistance, etc. They can help you apply for benefits.
LA County also has rapid rehousing programs which can sometimes provide assistance to help keep someone housed. So for example, an agency may have funds for preventative services. If you have an eviction notice, they may be able to provide rental assistance to keep you housed and help get you caught up. The key is reaching out quickly and getting connected so a team of professionals who can help & know what is available. Here is a link to more info on CES: https://www.lahsa.org/documents?id=1500-coordinated-entry-system-ces-brochure.pdf
Here is a list of the CES agencies for each SPA area. Also, remember you can always call 211 and they direct you to your nearest CES agency too.
SPA 1 | ANTELOPE VALLEY
ADULTS, YOUTH, AND FAMILIES
Valley Oasis
valleyoasis.org
661-942-2758
SPA 2 | SAN FERNANDO AND SANTA CLARITA VALLEY
ADULTS, FAMILIES
LA Family Housing, Family
lafh.org
818-255-2766
LA Family Housing, Single Adults
818-255-2703
YOUTH
The Village Family Services
thevillagefs.org
818-755-8786
SPA 3 | SAN GABRIEL VALLEY
Union Station Homeless Services
unionstationhs.org
Families: 626-337-0140
Adults: 626-791-6610
YOUTH
Hathaway Sycamore Child
& Family Services
hathaway-sycamores.org
626-395-7100
SPA 4 | METRO LA
ADULTS
The People Concern
213-488-9559
opcc.net
YOUTH
Los Angeles LGBT Center
lalgbtcenter.org
323-993-7400
FAMILIES
PATH
epath.org
323-644-2200
SPA 5 | WEST LA
ADULTS, FAMILIES:
St. Joseph’s Center
stjosephctr.org
310-396-6468
YOUTH
Safe Place for Youth
safeplaceforyouth.org
310-902-2283
SPA 6 | SOUTH LA
ADULTS
SSG Hopics
hopics.org
323-948-0444
YOUTH
CRCD
coalitionrcd.org
213-743-6193
FAMILIES
SSG Hopics
hopics.org
323-948-0444
SPA 7 | EAST/SOUTH LA
ADULTS
PATH
epath.org
323-644-2200
YOUTH
Jovenes Inc.
jovenesinc.org
323-260-8035
FAMILIES
Whole Child
thewholechild.info
562-692-0383
SPA 8 | SOUTH BAY
ADULTS, YOUTH, AND FAMILIES
Harbor Interfaith
harborinterfaith.org