Hope the Mission converts Encino motel into dwellings for young people

Hope the Mission hosted unveiled its latest homeless aid effort for young people, The Oaks transitional-age youth shelter, on Thursday, July 30.

The project converted the former Oak Tree Inn motel on Ventura Boulevard in Encino into a 26-unit, 38-bed haven for people ages 18 to 24.

According to officials, the shelter will also offer meals, case management, housing navigation, mental health support, life skills training and job placement services.

Nearly half of the complex’s residents were part of the foster care or delinquency systems in Los Angeles County, Hope the Mission officials said.

“They were really understanding about my circumstances, they were really eager to help me,” said  Nyquis Morgan, 23, who said she’d been in and out of homelessness since arriving in Southern California. Hope the Mission gave her a place to live and helped her to secure a laptop computer and kickstart her education.

“They are very relatable. They are very very accommodating and hospitable,” she said. “They make sure we get everything we need.”

Los Angeles City Councilwoman and mayoral candidate Nithya Raman was on hand for the ceremony.

Based in the San Fernando Valley, Hope the Mission — formerly Hope of the Valley —  is a nonprofit organization that works to reduce poverty, hunger and homelessness in the region by offering food, shelter, outreach and programs.