Our History

In 1978, ALA founder Janet Witkin was caring for her grandfather who was becoming frailer and more isolated with age. She was struck with the inadequacy of his options: he could remain alone at home with little support or move to an institution where he’d forfeit his independence. Her predicament inspired Janet to create a Shared Housing program to match seniors needing support with low-income housing seekers, the first of its kind in Los Angeles. Since its inception, ALA has matched a total of 2400 seniors through its Shared Housing program which has been a successful alternative to traditional affordable housing, especially for seniors, those facing housing instability, and single low-income renters.