Erika Hartman - Born To Talk

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Thank you Erika Hartman for joining me on the Born To Talk Radio Show Podcast. It was a pleasure having you back, Erika!

Meet Erika.

Erika is the Chief Executive Officer of Safe Place for Youth, one of the leading youth homeless services organizations in Los Angeles. Her prior roles include Chief Program Officer of the Downtown Women’s Center, a homeless services organization located in Skid Row. She was also the Chief Program Officer of Westside Children’s Center, a Los Angeles – based child welfare organization.

Erika also has a background in gang intervention and working with youth in the juvenile justice system. Erika is also a licensed marriage and family therapist. She received her Master’s degree from the University of Southern California, and undergraduate degrees from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Safe Place For Youth.

Each year S.P.Y serves over 1,300 young people facing the perils of being unhoused. They do so by connecting them to essential resources, and supporting them in healing from trauma. You will learn more about the challenges to resolving homelessness and the strategies that are successfully reducing youth homelessness in Los Angeles. Each youth’s journey is unique and so are the approaches to supporting them in exiting homelessness. SPY’s goal is to empower young people to thrive in self-directed lives and to ensure that they have a safe place to call home.

Erika’s Takeaways.

“Youth have so much potential. They just need opportunity, and that’s where Safe Place for Youth comes in. We create opportunities for empowerment, through community, art, music, mental health supports connecting young people to basic needs resources, and tools like education and employment readiness, to empower them to thrive. Once we place them in housing, they are equipped to sustain their achievements. Therefore, they can have a future that is bright with possibilities.”

In Closing.

This podcast takes an indepth look at the crisis of youth homelessness in Los Angeles, its root causes, and what Safe Place for Youth is doing to address it. Here is the link to donate. Thank you Erika for changing the lives of so many!!

Tune in to hear her story and how she is making a difference for homeless youth.

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