About Us

Learn About Our Organization

Our construction and social services are 96-98% of our spending each year.

Homes 4 Families was founded in 2008 and exist to meet the significant need for affordable housing and effective, no-cost services that equip veteran families to move up the economic ladder. With the support of CalVet and generous corporate sponsors and individual donors, we have helped over 402 low-income families achieve their dreams of safe, affordable homeownership. This includes 168 low-income veterans and military families. In the next few years, we will add 52 additional military families to this number.

Growing Futures

Community

Building Homes

Helping Familes

Education

Sustainability is our mission !

Our mission is to build resiliency, economic growth, neighborhoods, and homes for veterans and their families.

Sponsors

SERVING FAMILIES IN NEED

The veterans we serve are low-income, working members of the target community and surrounding areas.

Veterans are provided with specialized services and education to assist with Military trauma and to move them into the middle class. These services include financial literacy, health and wellness and vet-to-vet support, and have been designed, tested and registered/copyrighted.

What is the Veteran Enriched Neighborhood® Model?

The Enriched Neighborhood® model is an innovative way to build affordable housing–creating financial sustainability and upward mobility by combining the permanent housing with wraparound services in a supportive neighborhood.

It is a “model” in the sense that it is a set defined objectives and methods that are specific, unique and replicable enough to qualify for copyright and trademark. Housing is one part of the whole, and the whole is demonstrated to equal more than the sum of the parts in that our research has proven outcomes that cannot be created by any part individually.

Currently, the Homes 4 Families Veteran Enriched Neighborhood® (VEN®) model is licensed by CalVet in a nonexclusive arrangement as the CalVet REN. It is also available to be built with other funders.

Our programs produce measurable outcome-proven results.

Chief Executive Officer

Carlos A. Gonzalez

Carlos Gonzalez brings over two decades of visionary leadership and expertise in the nonprofit and housing sectors to his role as CEO of Homes For Families. With a steadfast commitment to ending homelessness and creating pathways to stable, supportive housing, Carlos has a proven track record of driving innovative solutions and fostering impactful partnerships.

Most recently, Carlos served as Chief Operating Officer at A Community of Friends (ACOF), where he managed a $14 million annual budget and spearheaded strategic initiatives to develop housing solutions, enhance wrap-around services, and implement tenant-centered property management approaches. This included building and managing nearly 600 Permanently Supportive and Affordable Housing units for formerly homeless Veterans and their families across southern California.

Previously, during his tenure at PATH (People Assisting the Homeless), Carlos played a pivotal role in scaling the organization from 40 to over 800 employees and expanding services statewide. Services expansion included successfully establishing PATH’s Veterans Connections department, which assisted and housed over 1,500 veterans and their families—managing a budget of $8 million per year across Greater Los Angeles and Long Beach.

Carlos’s extensive experience includes collaborating with government agencies, foundations, and community stakeholders to secure funding and ensure program sustainability. His dedication to evidence-based practices, diversity, equity, and inclusion has been instrumental in creating dignified environments for vulnerable populations. He worked with the former Mayor of Long Beach, now Congressman Robert Garcia, to develop the City’s first Department of Veteran Affairs and was appointed by Mayor Garcia as the inaugural Chair of the Commission for the first two terms.

Carlos holds an Executive MBA from the University of Oklahoma and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the University of Phoenix. His service on multiple nonprofit boards reflects his passion for community-driven change.

As CEO of Homes For Families, Carlos is poised to lead the organization into its next chapter of growth and impact, continuing its mission to empower families and build resilient communities.

Board of directors

Jonathon Wolfson

Jonathon Wolfson will resign his position on the Calabasas City Council effective Dec., 15. He is moving to Bell Canyon, The Acorn has learned.

Wolfson, a lawyer and former member of the city’s planning commission, was elected in March 2005 and re-elected in 2009. He served as mayor of Calabasas from 2009-2010. His term was set to expire in 2013.

“It has been a privilege and honor to be a representative of the residents of Calabasas on the City Council, Wolfson said in a statement.

“I have very much enjoyed my tenure and am proud of the many accomplishments made by our City Council during the last seven years.”

An Agoura High School graduate, Wolfson attended law school in Washington, D.C. before moving to Calabasas with his family in 1997. He served on the Calabasas Planning Commission for two years before being elected to the City Council.

“Although my family and I are sad to be leaving the City of Calabasas, we are looking forward to our new home,” he said, thanking the community for their trust and support.

“(I) know that this city will continue to shine and have a very bright future.”

Mayor James Bozajian said he will miss Wolfson’s expertise and professionalism.

“His intelligent, well-reasoned approach to the issues coming before us was a calming influence at many times when our debates often became quite contentious. In particular, Jonathon’s work in pre-analyzing our annual budgets and his service as our liaison to the school district was exemplary,” Bozajian said.

In coming weeks, the City Council will work publicly to decide whether the vacancy should be filled through an appointment or via special election.

“I’d like to look at all the options and then see what the choices are,” Councilmember Lucy Martin said. “Jonathon has been a dedicated and effective city council official with whom it’s been a pleasure to serve with.”

When Robert Sibilia resigned from the Calabasas council and moved away from the city in 2000, his seat was left vacant and not filled until the 2001 general election. In this year’s city election, Sibilia fell 200 votes shy in his bid to return to the council. Challengers Martha Fritz and Alicia Weintraub followed Sibilia in the voting and might also be potential appointees.

Bozajian said, “I have no intention of voting to leave (the seat) open. I don’t think the public is going to want that.”

A special election would have to wait until April 2012 at the earliest and could cost up to $50,000, The council is likely to save time and money by making an appointment.

The appointment will require votes from three out of the four remaining council members and must be made within 60 days of Wolfson’s departure, or the middle of February.

“I plan to ask the council to hold special meetings to discuss this. If an appointment is decided, we will seek applicants and interview them publicly,” Bozajian said.

Also to be considered is whether or not the council wants a caretaker appointee, one who will fill Wolfson’s term and retire in 2013, or someone who intends to run for a second term, Bozajian said

Mary Sue Maurer, who joined the Calabasas council with Wolfson in 2005, said she will miss her colleague’s kind and thoughtful personna.

“Some of my proudest accomplishments have been projects where I collaborated with Jon including developing a grant funding program for Calabasas schools and creating a number of disaster preparedness programs such as the drive-thru flu clinics and a special needs evacuation contact list,” Maurer said.

Board of directors

Deanna Austin

Responsible for leading the global, commercial strategy for Princess Cruises, a division of Carnival Corp. Total focus on guest experience, including the strategic business transformation of our new and enhanced onboard services using leading edge technology. A 35-year Princess veteran – with diversified leadership experience which includes reinventing our product in many ways through various business cycles, geographies and crises in order to ensure business resilience over time.
Reports to the President of Princess Cruises, currently serves as Chief Commercial Officer accountable for $3B in Cruise Revenue. Leads the Commercial Planning and Strategy teams globally – encompassing new market development, revenue optimization, product management, marketing, sales, and customer service. Developed business cases resulting in significant investments in new ships leading to 20% capacity growth and 40% revenue growth over the past ten years, taking Princess from a largely U.S. domestic brand to a truly global brand.
Recent success has been driven by focusing on the guest – working to reimagine all aspects of the customer journey resulting in strong interest for the Princess brand, and significant improvement in guest satisfaction scores. Diversified experience in demand generation and strategy development of loyalty and vacation club programs, shoreside packages, Food and Beverage offerings, and other guest-centric bundled offerings. As well, crisis management through COVID has provided many personal growth experiences by leading our shipboard and shoreside support teams through the prolonged 18-month pause in operations and now Return to Service. This requires continuous assessment of global risks and opportunities in North America, Australia/New Zealand, Asia, Latin America and Europe considering the new and ever-changing Covid landscape.
Board Member of the Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation (SCV EDC), recently led a task force to assess and report on future growth plans, impacts from the pandemic, and opportunities to further economic growth of regional businesses in the Santa Clarita Valley. Earned a BA in Marketing with a Minor in French from the University of Utah in 1984, and an MBA from California State University Northridge (CSUN) in 1990. Actively involved with ongoing leadership training and course work at UCLA Business school and continues with personal coaching. Girl Scouts of America member for 15 years; mentors women at Princess and students at CSUN. Based in Los Angeles with husband of 31 years, three grown kids and two dogs. Enthusiastic jazz dancer.

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Immediate Past Chair

Hunt C. Braly

Hunt C. Braly has been practicing law in Santa Clarita since 1992, specializing in land use, real estate, and all issues dealing with local and state government.

From July 1983 until December 1992, Hunt served as Chief of Staff to State Senator Ed Davis, the former Los Angeles Police Chief and Vice Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. In that capacity, he was integrally involved with the drafting and successful passage of legislation and initiatives.

When Senator Davis retired in 1992, Hunt established his own law and lobbying practice in Santa Clarita. In May 1999, he became a founding partner of Hacker, Kanowsky & Braly, LLP, a full service law firm in Santa Clarita. In 2004, the firm changed its name to HackerBraly, LLP. Mr. Braly specialized in land use, development, and real estate law, along with lobbying matters with the firm until the firm disbanded in July 2011. From July 2011 to 2013, Hunt had his own firm, Hunt C. Braly, Attorney at Law. In 2013 he joined Poole and Shaffery, LLP.

Since 1992, Hunt has been retained as a legislative advocate to represent numerous clients in Sacramento, including the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, Castaic Lake Water Agency, Pacific Voice Track, Voluntary Plan Administrators, Pacific ProVenture Group, Knowaste, The Animal Welfare Alliance, and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority. In addition he is a registered legislative advocate in Los Angeles County, where he has represented the Mountains Conservancy Foundation, Warner Financial Development, the Frawley Family Trust, Premiere Studio Rentals and Hank Arklin. He has performed public affairs work in local communities for clients such as Patrick/Eller Media, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, Philip Morris Corporation, Prime West Realty, the Castaic Lake Water Agency, Hank Arklin, Gate/King Partners, Pacific Bay Homes and Public Storage, Inc. Hunt also has worked in conjunction with prominent public affairs firms, such as the Dolphin Group; Stoorza, Metzger and Boyer; and Marathon Communications, on various issues.

In Sacramento, he has been involved in numerous water related legislative issues on behalf of his clients, the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District and the Castaic Lake Water Agency. These activities have included obtaining funding in two statewide bond measures.

He is a graduate in Political Science from the University of Southern California and received his JD from Loyola Law School. He has resided in Santa Clarita since 1989 and is married to Pamela and has two grown daughters, Alex and Morgan.

Board of directors

Donna Deutchman

Donna E. Deutchman is the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Homes 4 Families where she oversees the development of affordable veteran neighborhoods and comprehensive services that empower low-income veterans and their families to enter the middle class. Donna has more than three decades of experience growing nonprofit organizations and creating the public-private partnerships that empower them to better serve their missions. Through her years of compassionate service to the Southern California community, Donna has developed a rich expertise in fundraising, branding, marketing, advocacy, government affairs, and non-profit business model development.

As CEO of Homes 4 Families, Donna pioneered the outcome-proven Enriched Neighborhood® model, an innovative housing and social service model that addresses the distinct needs of the veteran community. This model was replicated in partnership with the California Department of Veterans Affairs. Donna has overseen the development of more than 144 homes for low-income families in Northern Los Angeles communities including Burbank, Santa Clarita, Pacoima, and Sylmar.

Prior to founding Homes 4 Families, Donna served as the CEO of Habitat for Humanity’s San Fernando/Santa Clarita Valleys chapter, which under her leadership became one of only 5% of Habitat chapters internationally to have built or renovated more than 100 homes – a total of 359 homes. She was responsible for the effective financial, operational and administrative management of the affiliate under the direction of the board of directors, as well as advocacy efforts, development, and construction and governmental affairs.

Donna served as the National Director of Model Development at the Leeza Gibbons Memory Foundation where she built partnership models and strategic alliances to support families with members suffering from memory impairment. Donna also served as the President and CEO of ONEgeneration, where she created intergenerational care services and programs for seniors, children, and at-risk youth. This model was nationally recognized as a Congressional Model of Excellence for its success in serving these populations.

Donna has written two pieces of legislation that were passed by the State of California and has helped conduct seminal research for housing and gerontology publications. She is currently a Senior Fellow at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, a past Chair of the Governor’s Interagency Council on Veterans Housing Committee, and past member of the California Department of Housing and Community Development advisory committee. In 2018, she was honored by the San Fernando Valley Business Journal by being named Not-for-Profit Business Woman of the Year.

Chair

Brad Rosenheim

Brad Rosenheim is President/CEO of the consulting firm of Rosenheim & Associates, Inc. Los Angeles’ premier firm specializing in land-use entitlements and planning, project team management, permit processing and clearances, government and community affairs associated with the land-use entitlement process, strategic planning and public-policy, consulting and analysis for both public- and private-sector clients.

Before he began his own firm, Brad served six years as senior associate in the public policy consulting firm of Emerson & Associates and one year as senior public affairs specialist for C.W. Cook Co., Inc., a land-use planning and public affairs firm in West Los Angeles.

Prior to entering the private sector, Brad served a year as aide, then seven years as deputy, to Los Angeles City Councilman Marvin Braude. As a deputy, he was responsible for the management of the San Fernando Valley portion of Council District 11, serving more than 100,000 constituents. Rosenheim advised the Councilman on all local and regional transportation policy matters, assisted in developing land-use planning policies, strategies and positions and led community outreach and city agency liaison efforts.

As part of his ongoing commitment to the local community, Brad founded The West Valley Boys & Girls Club in January 19951992, and has participated as chairman of the governing board of the Warner Center Children’s Corner, which he helped to create in June 1993. In the summer of 2001, he was honored by the San Fernando Valley Business Journal as one of the San Fernando Valley’s 25 most influential business leaders, and was most recently recognized by the Woodland Hills-Tarzana Chamber of Commerce for his outstanding commitment to community service as the recipient of the 2008 Joseph Staller Award. In 2010 Brad was honored to receive the Clyde Porter Humanitarian Award, presented by the Valley Cultural Center recognizing his commitment to philanthropy and volunteerism.

A graduate of California State University, Northridge, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science, he also attended the University of Arizona and the University of Southern California. In 1985, he was the first candidate to graduate from USC with a master’s degree in public administration, a special certification in city management and a focus on public-policy development and implementation.

Brad and his wife, Devon, also a veteran of Los Angeles City Hall, live with their daughter, Whitney, and son, Ryan, in the Los Angeles area.