Our Crowdfunding Groups
Our crowdfunding campaign has ended, but you can still support Bruin Shelter by clicking here.
Welcome to the Bruin Shelter, a UCLA student organization that has been working to provide a rent-free and supportive housing option for college students experiencing housing insecurity in the greater LA area for over 7 years. Our initiative was born out of the urgent need for student housing on the Westside, and as the first shelter of its kind to be run by students – for students, Bruin Shelter has always relied on support from our community to help take steps towards addressing the student housing crisis. As we launch this new SPARK campaign, we hope each of you will join us in showing support for our peers experiencing houselessness, and helping us to maintain a space that they can call home.
Founded in 2016 by Louis Tse and Luke Shaw, both UCLA graduate students at the time, Bruin Shelter is the first undergraduate student-run shelter in the nation to specifically serve college students experiencing houselessness and housing insecurity. Los Angeles has the highest population of unhoused youths, and the city has 69,000 individuals experiencing houselessness on any given night. At the time of the shelter’s founding, there were NO youth shelters on the westside of Los Angeles, so one would have to choose between commuting to a shelter in Hollywood or sleeping on the streets. To fund the creation of Bruin Shelter, Louis lived in his car for two years, putting the money that would have gone towards his rent towards this new form of transitional housing.
Since its founding, Bruin Shelter has inspired the creation of Students4Students, a nonprofit that has expanded to include three more student-run shelters in college campuses across California. This year, we have reopened to operate a fully in-person shelter, supporting students across the greater Los Angeles area in their goal of pursuing a college degree. We believe deeply in the power of a diploma, re-examining assumptions about what houselessness means, and making a tangible difference in the community around us. Ultimately, Bruin Shelter is more than just a shelter — it is about providing a safe space for these individuals, a home and a family.
Our shelter needs funding to help students experiencing housing insecurity all across Southern California achieve higher education. We are entirely donation-run, and we cherish the opportunity to consider our resident's needs above financial worries. Within our shelter, we offer access to food, basic needs, and personalized case management to our residents, and we hope to continue to keep the shelter open, with your help.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE UCLA FOUNDATION'S DISCLOSURE STATEMENTS FOR DONORS
Should this fund reach the campus minimum required for the establishment of an endowment or quasi-endowment, The UCLA Foundation reserves the right to convert this fund to an endowment or quasi-endowment. Please click here to learn more about how the UCLA Foundation invests and manages its endowments.
A donation of $5 can help buy small items such as hygiene and first aid products for our shelter inventory.
A donation of $25 helps pay for new kitchenware for our staff volunteers to cook for Bruin Shelter’s residents every night.
A donation of $50 helps pay for new sheets and bedding to ensure Bruin Shelter’s residents enjoy a comfortable stay.
A donation of $100 helps us buy a week’s worth of groceries for dinners for Bruin Shelter’s residents.
A donation of $250 helps us pay for new clothing and school supplies to ensure Bruin Shelter’s residents are prepared to attend classes.
A donation of $500 helps us fund outreach and advocacy projects in collaboration with mutual aid organizations to help combat housing insecurity in the Los Angeles community.
A donation of $1,000 helps us fund temporary housing arrangements during academic breaks, as well as facilitate residents’ transitions from Bruin Shelter to permanent housing.