Help NoHo Stay Cool By Donating To The 'Heat Wave Fundraiser'

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA — The North Hollywood Home Alliance on Wednesday began its "Heat Wave Fundraiser," which aims to raise $10,000 to help East San Fernando Valley residents experiencing homelessness.

The fundraiser will help the nonprofit purchase pop-up tents, install outdoor misters at its drop-in program and provide people with clean underwear, fresh food, cold water and more, according to its website. It will run through July 31.

"We chose an achievable goal that would cover the added expenses we run in the hottest months including the misters, tents, toiletry kits (which have become much more expensive to put together), bottled water, popsicles, and additional housing/case management to try to help people move off the streets into indoor temporary housing," Stephanie Jaeger, executive director of the NoHo Home Alliance, said in an email.

The nonprofit chose to hold its 10-day fundraiser throughout the 10 hottest days of July, Jaeger said, a month in which the average temperature in North Hollywood is around 87 degrees.

This is the first year the NoHo Home Alliance has hosted its Heat Wave Fundraiser, Jaeger said.

In the past, the Alliance would host its summer events in its air-conditioned fellowship space. However, that was not feasible last summer due to the coronavirus pandemic, so the nonprofit moved its programming outdoors.

"The pop-ups we bought last summer need to be replaced; and we wanted to add misters to the outdoor spaces to increase the comfort of our participants while they wait for showers and to meet with housing specialists etc," Jaeger said.

The North Hollywood Home Alliance is a nonprofit membership organization of residents and stakeholders in the East Fernando Valley, its website says. Its goal is to address local issues and improve the health of North Hollywood.

The nonprofit helps unhoused people become more self-sufficient by providing a mail service and collecting IDs, birth certificates and other documents, Jaeger said. It also helps individuals navigate the housing referral process.

"We are mostly volunteer-run with limited part-time staff," Jaeger said. "This makes us not only cost-effective; it makes a process for neighbors-helping-neighbors working together to build a healthier community for all of us."