Rocker and philanthropist Jon Bon Jovi (second from left) recently spent time touring L.A.'s infamous ‘Skid Row’ and the housing initiative, the Lamp Community. Lamp Community is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization—headed by acting executive director and UCLA alumna Shannon Murray MSW '96 (far left)—that permanently ends homelessness, improves health, and builds self-sufficiency among men and women living with severe mental illness.

Once settled in their home, new tenants are surrounded with customized services such as mental health treatment, drug recovery, healthcare, budgeting, visual and performing arts, job opportunities, and other supports to help them achieve their goals and become a part of their community.

Bon Jovi was accompanied by Steve Lopez (third from left), the LA Times columnist who authored The Soloist, the story of cellist and Lamp client Nathaniel Ayers.  Also pictured (far right) is KPCC personality John Rabe.

For the last six years, Bon Jovi has used his fame and money to fight homelessness. The Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation has built 250 units of affordable housing around the country. When he’s on tour, Bon Jovi makes fact-finding visits to the poor parts of town to learn more about the causes and cures of homelessness.

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