About Los Angeles Room & Board
A place to live.
A chance to learn.
Our mission is to end youth and student homelessness and hunger in Los Angeles, so young people can stay in school and finish the education they came for.
Our story
What it takes
to stay in school.
In 2018, Sam Prater founded Los Angeles Room & Board with a question shaped by his years in student housing. How can someone concentrate in class when they’re still figuring out where to sleep that night? In 2020, our Westwood home opened its doors to students facing that question.
Today our homes are part of Westwood, Boyle Heights, and Echo Park. We work alongside our neighbors to give young people a place to settle in, get to know one another, and plan for the next semester. That includes young people leaving foster care and students continuing their education through Court to College.
“Board” is as much a part of that promise as “room.” Chef Andra and our culinary team prepare meals and teach young people to cook. Coming home after class can mean finding dinner on the table, someone to share it with, and a quiet place to study afterward.
About the Founder
Sam Prater
Founder & Executive Director
Sam grew up on Detroit’s west side, the twelfth of fourteen children, in a home filled with music. After his mother died, he left high school at sixteen. By eighteen he was on his own. He remembers sleeping on other people’s couches and keeping his belongings in his car.
At twenty-three, a job he wanted required proof of a high school diploma. He enrolled at a community college to earn his equivalency, then went on to Central Michigan University. There, he became a resident assistant. A career in residence life grew out of that experience, and eventually so did LA Room & Board.
Those college ties still run deep. Years later, students from Sam’s alma mater spent their spring break helping get The Cottages ready for the young people moving in. Meet the spring break volunteers.
In conversation with Jennifer Hudson
The Jennifer Hudson Show · February 5, 2024 · 6 min 11 sec
Sam tells Jennifer about growing up in Detroit and why he started LA Room & Board. Afterward, he admitted how hard it was to stay focused sitting next to her. Sam’s note after the show.
Get in touch.
Have a question about our homes, want to volunteer, or have an idea for something we could do together in your neighborhood? We’d love to hear from you.
You can also find us on Instagram at @laroomandboard.