About Us
Our Mission and Vision
Ascencia’s Mission, “Lifting people out of homelessness one person, one family at a time,” speaks to how we place individualized care at the center of our work. Our vision, “a community where people in need can access services and find safe, affordable housing,” calls us to address systemic drivers of homelessness. Our core values – inclusion, respect, tenacity, and harmony – guide us in balancing our work, priorities, and approach, to achieve our vision for a healthier community.
Ascencia is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization providing housing and support services for homeless individuals and families. Ascencia is the only comprehensive homeless service agency in the region, providing case management to 1,200 people annually. We provide street outreach in Glendale, Burbank, West Hollywood, Northeast Los Angeles, and East Hollywood, as well as a 45-bed Emergency Housing program for over 300 residents every year. Additionally, ninety-seven percent of Ascencia clients stay housed for one year or more.
Homelessness reveals social, economic, and housing policy failures to remedy poverty and lack of opportunity among people of color, immigrants, and people isolated due to their gender identity and sexual orientation, health status, and mental illness. Ascencia is here to connect individuals with services and resources to help lead them out of homelessness.
Thank you for supporting our mission.
“Thank you to Ascencia for all their incredible work to serve families in Los Angeles County.”
Our Values
Ascencia envisions a community where people in need can find services, resources, and safe, affordable housing. It is evident that minority groups, such as People of Color, Older Adults, and the LGBTQIA+ Community, are more likely to experience homelessness and are likely to endure discrimination and harassment that extends their homelessness.
Ascencia embraces the diversity of our community. We understand the intersections between homelessness and certain groups, and we provide an affirmative, inclusive, and respectful environment for all clients. Here are the values we live by to help us achieve this:
Inclusion
We seek ways to be inclusive in our services, our staffing, and our recruitment of volunteers. We embrace the diversity of our community.
Respect
We honor differences, choose to listen well, and endeavor to speak with thoughtfulness and consideration.
Tenacity
We do not give up. We work together to identify the right solution, and follow through until we have achieved it.
Harmony
We value emotional, physical, and spiritual wellbeing, and aim to create an environment that fosters that wellbeing.
Our Work
Ascencia is a nonprofit homeless services agency and emergency shelter located in Glendale, California. Our work begins with a fundamental respect for the dignity of the people we serve, driven by the persistent and unfailing belief that no one should be without a home.
Ascencia provides a range of services and housing to move homeless families and individuals in Los Angeles County off the streets and into their own home. These programs include street outreach, 45 beds of year-round emergency housing for families and single adults, comprehensive case management services, occupational therapy, on-site mental health care–including trauma therapy and psychiatry–and much more.
Our programs have proven successful in moving families and individuals from homelessness to stability in permanent housing. We have a 97% Housing Retention Rate, which is significantly above industry standard, and we are proud of it. We owe this success to our hard-working case managers, admin staff, directors, resident associates, board members, donors, and volunteers who all touch the lives of our clients every day.
History
Ascencia’s mission, “to lift people out of homelessness one person, one family at a time,” speaks to how we place individualized care at the center of our work. As the only comprehensive homeless services provider in our area, we see daily the most devastating evidence of inequity in our county today.
In 1996, the City of Glendale convened a coalition of providers to create a Continuum of Care system that featured a multi-service center, shelter, transitional and permanent supportive housing. Called Project ACHIEVE, the original operating agency ended its service in 2006, leading to the creation of PATH Achieve Glendale, under the PATH Partners family of organizations.
In 2011, PATH Achieve Glendale separated from PATH and became a fully independent organization as Ascencia.
In 2012, Ascencia launched its first capital campaign to secure a permanent home for its operations, and position the agency for growth and geographic expansion. We purchased and rehabilitated an 11,500 square foot warehouse for our Access Center and 40-bed shelter and a nearby 9-unit apartment building for permanent supportive housing.
As part of the national 100,000 Homes Campaign from 2011 to 2014, Ascencia housed 68 chronically homeless, vulnerable adults in Glendale, with 90% remaining housed six months or longer.
In 2016, we started the Financial Literacy Program, graduating 40+ individuals to date.
In 2016-17, the City of West Hollywood entered into a three-year contract to provide outreach and case management services in West Hollywood, and reserves ten beds for referrals from West Hollywood. This new relationship has further expanded our capacity by providing shelter and services to the LGBTQIA population. Ascencia continues to shelter clients with companion animals. During this period, Ascencia expanded outreach in Burbank, and operated a regional winter shelter in Highland Park.
In 2018, our shelter bed capacity increased to 45 beds with more families with children served and we launched our first of ten ICMS – PSH contracts with DHS. Ascencia was named as Nonprofit of the Year 2018 by Assembly member Laura Friedman for Assembly District 5.
In 2019, we added Housing Location Navigators responsible for developing relationships with property owners and landlords and identifying housing units in advance of need. We also added several more positions including a Housing Retention Case Manager, a Street Outreach Case Manager, a PSH Case Manager, and double coverage in our 45-bed emergency housing program which is now open around the clock seven days a week.
In 2020, West Coast University partnered with Ascencia to provide Occupational Therapy Services
In 2021, Ascencia expanded services to the City of Los Angeles – East Hollywood area. A few months later, the services to the City of Los Angeles were renewed and expanded further to include all of Hollywood and Los Feliz as well.
In 2022, we saw a 97% housing retention rate, meaning 97% of the clients we placed in permanent housing were still housed 1 year later. We expanded our clinical and wellness services, including our Integrated Hospital Health and Housing Retention Programs for chronically homeless high utilizers of hospitals. We began weekend and nighttime street outreach services in West Hollywood.
In 2023, the City of L.A. contracted with Ascencia to begin providing homeless services along the LA River from Studio City to Reseda.
In 2024, construction began on the West Hollywood Interim Housing Facility at the old Holloway Motel, of which Ascencia will operate once complete.
Address
1851 Tyburn Street
Glendale, CA 91204
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Access Center Hours
Mon – Wed : 7am - 4pm
Thurs : 7am - 2pm
Open Fridays, but closed on
the last Friday of each month
Contact Us
(818) 246-7900
info@AscenciaCA.org
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