Jovenes

What Jovenes does

Jovenes, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1990 by Fr. Richard Estrada, headquartered in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, and serving homeless transition-age youth (ages 18-24) across Southeast LA County (SPA 7). The organization operates a full continuum of care that includes rent-free Emergency Shelter in Boyle Heights, Transitional Housing across Boyle Heights/Pico Rivera/Bellflower, Rapid Rehousing, Permanent Supportive Housing, the My Home/Mi Casa affordable housing program, Family Reconnection services, and a Host Homes program matching youth with volunteer households. Since 2016, Jovenes has also run the College Success Initiative in partnership with 11 community colleges and universities, and in 2020 it opened The Village at Cerritos College — California's first community college housing project exclusively for homeless students — a 28-bed master-leased facility jointly managed with Cerritos College.

The organization serves as the Regional Coordinator for Transition Age Youth in LA's Coordinated Entry System for SPA 7, functioning as the system-wide intake and placement authority for TAY housing referrals from schools, hospitals, churches, police, and community partners. Its funding model is a traditional nonprofit mix: individual donations processed via BlackBaud eTapestry, foundation grants from a small set of family foundations (Deutsch, Mayer, Hezlep, Doerken), government funding aligned with California Assembly Bill 74 (modeled on Jovenes' College Success Initiative), and in-kind contributions. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. The core operating technology stack is minimal — donation processing, Google Analytics, and the WIN mobile service-directory app — with no proprietary software platform; service delivery is labor-intensive case management.

Jovenes is governed by a Board of Directors chaired by founder Fr. Richard Estrada (President) with Andrea Marchetti serving as Executive Director since 2010. The 11-50 employee organization has housed 300 students through its College Success Initiative since 2016, with 68% having graduated, transferred, or remaining enrolled — a measurable outcome metric that anchors its fundraising and policy-advocacy positioning.

Name

Jovenes

Legal name

Jovenes, Inc.

Website

https://jovenesinc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Jovenes, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1990 that provides housing and supportive services to homeless transition-age youth (18-24) across Southeast LA County, operating a continuum of care from emergency shelter through permanent housing, plus the College Success Initiative and The Village at Cerritos College.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Homeless Youth Social Services

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Other Community Housing Services (624229), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services (BPAIANAC), Homeless, Foster Care & Highly Mobile Youth Education Services (EDAJAEAG), Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO)

Keywords

• Youth homelessness services
• Transitional housing programs
• College student housing
• Emergency shelter services
• Permanent supportive housing

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute to support homeless youth housing and services. The organization accepts donations through its website with secure SSL processing via BlackBaud eTapestry.
2. Foundation & Corporate Grants: Jovenes receives funding from foundations including The Carl & Roberta Deutsch Family Foundation, The Mayer Foundation, The Hezlep Family Foundation, and The Peter & Candis Doerken Foundation. Also funded by John Burton Associates for Youth and Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab.
3. Government Funding: California Assembly Bill 74 (2019) provided $19 million to address homelessness among college students, modeled after Jovenes' College Success Initiative. The organization serves as Regional Coordinator for Transition Age Youth in LA's Coordinated Entry System for SPA 7.
4. In-Kind Donations: The organization accepts non-cash donations including furniture and clothes. Donation guidelines are available on their website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Jovenes provides free and subsidized housing and supportive services to homeless youth ages 18-24 in Los Angeles County. Its continuum of care spans emergency shelter, transitional housing, rapid rehousing, permanent supportive housing, family reconnection, affordable housing, college-focused housing (including California's first community college housing project for homeless students at The Village at Cerritos College), host homes, and a regional Coordinated Entry System for SPA 7.

Product overview

Jovenes offers a comprehensive continuum of care for homeless youth ages 18-24, consisting of short-term housing programs (Emergency Shelter and Transitional Housing), permanent housing solutions (Rapid Rehousing, Permanent Supportive Housing, My Home/Mi Casa, Affordable Housing, and Family Reconnection), and specialized college-focused programs (College Success Initiative with Bridge Housing, Rapid Rehousing, and Dormitory options). The flagship product, The Village at Cerritos College, is California's first community college housing project for homeless students. Additional services include Host Homes matching youth with community hosts, and the Richard Estrada Youth Center providing drop-in services. All housing programs are supported by case management, counseling, education, and employment services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 68% of College Success Initiative students graduate, transfer, or remain enrolled
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Cerritos CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to create The Village at Cerritos College - California's first community college housing project exclusively for homeless students. Cerritos College purchased the property, and Jovenes master-leases, manages day-to-day operations, resident selection, on-site supervision, case management, and property maintenance. Can house up to 28 students aged 18-24.
• Long Beach City CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollege partner in the College Success Initiative. Peer Navigators work on campus to meet homeless students and connect them with housing support.
• Mt. San Antonio CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollege partner in the College Success Initiative. Peer Navigators work on campus to meet homeless students and connect them with housing support.
• East LA CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollege partner in the College Success Initiative. Peer Navigators work on campus to meet homeless students and connect them with housing support.
• LA Southwest CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollege partner in the College Success Initiative. Peer Navigators work on campus to meet homeless students and connect them with housing support.
• LA City CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollege partner in the College Success Initiative. Peer Navigators work on campus to meet homeless students and connect them with housing support.
• LA Trade TechcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollege partner in the College Success Initiative. Peer Navigators work on campus to meet homeless students and connect them with housing support.
• Cal State Long BeachcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollege partner in the College Success Initiative. Peer Navigators work on campus to meet homeless students and connect them with housing support.
• Cal Poly PomonacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollege partner in the College Success Initiative. Peer Navigators work on campus to meet homeless students and connect them with housing support.
• Cal State NorthridgecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollege partner in the College Success Initiative. Peer Navigators work on campus to meet homeless students and connect them with housing support.
• San Bernardino Valley CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollege partner in the College Success Initiative. Peer Navigators work on campus to meet homeless students and connect them with housing support.
• The Wellness Center Los AngelescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost for a Jovenes satellite office providing comprehensive services including eviction prevention, housing emergencies, access to health insurance, and domestic violence services. Ryan was hired through a Leadership Development Internship at this satellite office and now works there as a paid employee.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• HomeSafe: LA-area nonprofit providing housing and supportive services specifically to homeless youth, including transition age youth. Direct peer serving the same 18-24 demographic in the same LA market.
• A Community of Friends: LA-based nonprofit developing supportive housing for low-income individuals, including youth and adults transitioning out of homelessness. Comparable housing development model and geographic market.
• PATH (People Assisting the Homeless): LA-based nonprofit operating interim housing, permanent supportive housing, and rapid rehousing programs for people experiencing homelessness, including youth-focused programs. Comparable service model and geographic market.
• Brilliant Corners: California nonprofit providing supportive housing for individuals and families exiting homelessness, including youth-focused programs. Comparable service model with statewide California footprint.
• LA Family Housing (LAFH): LA-based nonprofit providing housing and supportive services across a continuum of care, including dedicated programs for transition age youth. Comparable to Jovenes in geographic market, service model, and target population.
• Hollywood Community Housing Corporation: LA nonprofit developing and managing affordable housing for low-income and formerly homeless individuals, including transition age youth. Comparable geographic market and housing development focus.
• Chrysalis: LA-based nonprofit serving people experiencing homelessness through employment services, housing, and case management. Comparable geographic market and target population, with stronger focus on workforce reentry.
• Safe Place for Youth (SPY): Venice, CA-based nonprofit serving homeless youth ages 12-24 with drop-in services, housing navigation, and case management. Direct peer with overlapping services and adjacent LA geography.
• Covenant House: National nonprofit providing housing and supportive services to homeless and trafficked youth ages 18-24. Directly comparable mission and target population to Jovenes, though operating at much larger scale across multiple states.

Emerging players

• Cal State Basic Needs Initiative: California State University system initiative addressing student basic needs including housing insecurity across all 23 CSU campuses. Emerging system-level effort addressing the same student-homelessness population that Jovenes' College Success Initiative serves.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Jovenes_Inc
• Facebookfacebook.com/jovenesinc
• Instagraminstagram.com/jovenes_inc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Jovenes