Skyscraper Descent for Fundraising

An earlier version of this story misidentified those in the photograph. At left is Michael Klein of Freedom Financial Funds with Brad Rosenheim of Rosenheim and Associates. They are Homes 4 Families Board members and were the co-chairs of the rappelling event.

Dozens of people rappelled down the side of the Hilton Universal City Hotel late last month as part of a fundraising event hosted by the Woodland Hills-based nonprofit veterans organization Homes 4 Families.

“(We had) about 40 rappelers, including Santa Clarita Councilmember Jason Gibbs, local community and business leaders, and Homes 4 Families veteran homeowners,” Stacey Chiang, grant writer and corporate development associate for Homes 4 Families, said. “The reception was excellent. This was our biggest year yet!”

The “Go Over the Edge” event, hosted Oct. 30, allowed donors to the nonprofit to rappel down 25 stories along the hotel’s edge. It raised more than $120,000 toward the completion of a community of affordable homes for veterans in Palmdale. The 56-home project is currently under construction.

“The first 16 veterans will move into the Palmdale community by the end of this year. Then, they will move in by phases until all 56 are in,” Chiang said. “We anticipate the project to be completed in 2024.”

The rappelling event’s sponsorship levels allowed donors to fund portions of the homes as well as the chance to climb down the side of the Hilton Universal. Sponsors who donated $2,500 provided flooring for a home, $3,500 funded kitchen countertops and appliances, and amounts up to $25,000 provided siding for a home. Local business owners and companies, including Devon and Brad Rosenheim of Rosenheim & Associates, the Sikand Foundation and Hotel Mariposa were sponsors of the event. 

Homes 4 Families develops and constructs communities with affordable housing for low-income veterans and their families, partnering with lenders and government agencies to establish lending agreements for the units. It currently operates five veteran communities in Santa Clarita and Sylmar, as well as a civilian community in Pacoima. An upcoming North Hollywood project will include a dozen two-story homes. 

In addition to developing and providing financing for the affordable homes, the nonprofit also provides wraparound services including financial education, therapeutic workshops and veteran-to-veteran support.