Meet
Kerry Morrison

I’ve stepped into a new chapter of my life and

I am..

  • PREPARED

    Prepared by past experience heading the Hollywood Entertainment District BID for two decades.   Prepared by a  Stanton Fellowship, years of volunteer participation and leadership of various public and private endeavors addressing homelessness in Los Angeles including LASHA, HHH Citizen’s Oversight Committee, Home for Good Business Leaders Task Force, The Center in Hollywood and Hollywood 4WRD.

  • PASSIONATE

    Passionate bout working with other LA County leaders to find a new way forward to help people with mental illness move from the streets and jails to home.   Move from boredom to purpose.  Move from despair to hope. 

  • INSPIRED

    Inspired by what we’ve learned is possible through the remarkable system that takes care of people in Trieste, Italy;  the “city that cares.”

2019

In March 2019, I spent the month embedded in the mental health system in Trieste, thanks to the kind people in the Dipartimento di Salute Mentale who patiently hosted me and answered all my questions.  This blog starts with that journey but continues on as I return home and share the good news of what is possible with leaders in our city and county, our state and beyond.

In September 2019,  I returned to Trieste for the fifth time, to attend the bi-annual international conference.     I was joined by 38 leaders from LA County and Sacramento.  After the conference, I travelled to southern Italy and Rome for a week, to learn about programs to address homelessness and mental illness.

2020

Returning home, I was anticipating the 2020 launch of a bold mental health pilot slated for Hollywood, that had received a funding nod from the state’s oversight committee for the Mental Health Services Act.  And then March, 2020 arrived and the whole world was changed.

My pandemic pivot involved paying attention to the mission and vision of my nonprofit, Heart Forward LA in this time of adaptation.  I also launched a podcast in September 2020 which allowed me to bring voices forward who can speak to the pain and anguish associated with our mental health system, but also speak from a place of optimism that we can do better.  I invite you to  Heart Forward:  Conversations from the Heart.

2021`- 2022

In 2021 and 2022, via Heart Forward LA, I launched the Radical Hospitality Initiative, first with support by People Assisting the Homeless (and then with the continuing support of philanthropy). While we were awaiting direction from the L.A. County Department of Mental Health on the direction to be taken with respect to the MHSA-funded Hollywood mental health pilot (now called Hollywood 2.0) this was a good opportunity to enter the board & care community and several permanent supportive housing communities to engage with residents and pursue socialization and community building through gardening, music and cooking lessons and old-fashioned relationship building.

During this period, we continued to learn about the “clubhouse model” with an aim to collaborating with Fountain House in New York City to stand up a clubhouse in Hollywood.

2023 - 2024

Momentum is building. Heart Forward LA signed an MOU with Fountain House in New York in April 2023 which has created a collaboration around bringing a clubhouse to Hollywood. With support from Kaiser Permanente and the Atlas-Kardia Foundation, a pop-up clubhouse site was identified in October 2023 and Heart Forward provided initial “staffing” as Fountain House readied its contract with LACDMH and commenced the hiring of staff in the spring of 2024. Further, the Hollywood 2.0 pilot, administered by the LA County Department of Mental Health is launched and the community engagement partner, Hollywood 4WRD, is creating meaningful avenues for the Hollywood community to participate shaping and implementing the pilot. The Heart Forward Conversations From the Heart podcast completed it’s fourth season. And the Radical Hospitality Initiative continues to flourish, thanks to generous partners such as the Woven Foundation and Atlas Kardia Foundation.

Let’s Connect

Take a look at my bio.

I am available to speak about the Trieste model and share what I’ve learned about this remarkable system to your audience.  Take a look at my Speaker Profile.  

Thank you for your interest in accoglienza. Feel free to contact me at any time!

On the last day of my job heading the Hollywood BID, my husband whisked me away to Yosemite to help make the break between one chapter closing and a new one beginning. This is where the blog begins.