My Friend’s Place
Through The Years
My Friend's Place remains dedicated to ending youth
homelessness both in our community and beyond.
Watch Our Story
Our History
1988
Co-founded in 1988 by Steve LePore and Craig Scholz and originally called The Lighthouse, My Friend’s Place formally incorporated in 1990, becoming a 501(c)3, in order to provide additional services and in April of 1992, opened a facility at 1641 Las Palmas Avenue in Hollywood.
1992
The earliest services offered a few hours of respite from the street, food and compassionate, caring adult guidance. During the L.A. riots of 1992, My Friend’s Place was the only facility on Las Palmas to escape damage during the violence. The youth stood in front of the building, demanding that their space be respected because they had no other place to go.
1993
In 1993, due to the dramatic increase of youth seeking services, My Friend’s Place moved to a facility four times the size at 1643 Cherokee Avenue and expanded again in 1996 to 6350 Hollywood Boulevard. At that time, the organization’s budget was $277,500 and featured a staff of four.
1998 - 2000
In 1998, a dedicated group of supporters and board of directors purchased our current facility, located at 5850 Hollywood Boulevard. In 2000, the organization began providing services in that facility. By 2012, its 24th year of service in Hollywood, My Friend’s Place featured a staff of 14 with an annual budget of $1.3 million, 100% of which was raised from private funds. My Friend's Place was also a founding member of the 7-member Hollywood Homeless Youth Partnership (HHYP), and currently collaborates with more than 75 organizations to provide the widest possible range of services to help our youth.
2011 - 2024
Over the years, My Friend's Place has been fortunate to build a vibrant, dedicated community of supporters, many of whom helped elevate the issue of youth homelessness to both national and international significance. Whether it was our early work with Kobe and Vanessa Bryant or our continuing work with Miley Cyrus and Halsey, every contributor and volunteer has helped My Friend's Place become the thriving organization in operation today.
