FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Media Contact: Colleen Farrell | SBCCOG | 424-271-4681 | [email protected]
LOS ANGELES HOMELESS SERVICE AUTHORITY SENIOR EXECUTIVE JOINS SOUTH BAY CITIES COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS TO MANAGE HOMELESSNESS AND SENIOR PROGRAMS
TORRANCE, CALIF., October 7, 2021 – The South Bay Cities Council of Governments (SBCCOG), a government organization dedicated to improving the quality of life and productivity in the South Bay subregion of Los Angeles County, welcomes Ronson Chu to lead its Homelessness and Senior Services programs. Chu brings financial, administrative and managerial experience to the organization after working in various roles for the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) and Homeless Court, and as co-founder of Weekend to End Homelessness, an event and campaign to connect neighbors with volunteer opportunities in their local communities.
“Ronson brings a passion for working on programs to address homelessness and has really hit the ground running,” Jacki Bacharach, executive director, SBCCOG, said. “Through his work at LAHSA, he brings an important perspective to the programs we already have and those being proposed by our member cities.”
In his new role, Chu will develop strategies and processes for implementation of South Bay programs, activities and events related to homelessness and senior services programs. These include Home Share South Bay, a partnership with Silvernest, an online service that matches homeowners who have rooms for rent with tenants seeking housing. The program was created through Measure H Innovation Funds, which take aim at homelessness in Los Angeles County.
Chu will prioritize $3.7 million in proposed projects for the South Bay Cities for the $1.9 million in Measure H funding which has been allocated to the South Bay cities through the SBCCOG for innovative programs. A previous $250,000 Measure H grant from the SBCCOG provided funding to start the Homeless Court program, a pilot program that launched in Redondo Beach in 2020. The program gives unhoused criminal defendants the choice to complete social programs in exchange for sentence waivers and helps them to transition into temporary and permanent housing. The SBCCOG has also provided funding for Client Aid, which supplies motel vouchers, transportation and back rent to prevent evictions.
“There is a lot going on in our community to address homelessness. Our role at the South Bay Cities Council of Governments is to make life easier for our outreach workers and the people who get people housed—to help grease the wheels to get people into permanent housing,” Chu, senior manager, Homelessness and Senior Services, SBCCOG said.
Most recently, Chu managed LAHSA’s $100 million internal budget, a role which helped him to develop in-depth knowledge of various federal, state and local funding sources available to combat homelessness, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. LAHSA was created in 1993 by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the Los Angeles mayor and city council as the lead agency in the Los Angeles Continuum of Care. It is the lead regional planning body that coordinates housing and services for homeless families and individuals in Los Angeles County. Prior to that role Chu served as an administrative coordinator for Homeless Court.
In 2018, Chu also co-founded and now volunteers for Weekend to End Homelessness, a non-profit event that connects hundreds of neighborhood volunteers with more than 25 organizations including Hope of the Valley, The Salvation Army and Inner City Law Center.
Prior to working in homelessness, Ronson worked in corporate finance and operations for United Online, Macy’s, Bloomingdales and Screen Engine/ASI, a leading entertainment market research firm. He resides in Redondo Beach with his wife, Roseann Chu, MD, a family medicine physician with UCLA Manhattan Beach, along with their two children. In his free time, he volunteers for St. Margaret’s Center, a program of Catholic Charities of Los Angeles Inc. that serves low-income and homeless families.
ABOUT SOUTH BAY CITIES COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS:
The South Bay Cities Council of Governments (SBCCOG) is a joint powers government agency of 16 cities and the County of Los Angeles which share the goal of maximizing the quality of life and productivity of the subregion. Within this structure, cities and Los Angeles County maintain the qualities and characteristics that make them unique and independent, while also coming together collectively to address issues of common interest for a greater good of the communities through partnership, persuasion, performance and advocacy. For more information about the SBCCOG visit http://southbaycities.org