About us
We are a research and policy lab based in Los Angeles that specializes in youth homelessness.
Our mission is to bolster the capacity of our community through data-driven insights, and foster a platform that transforms strategic communication into action.
We believe that a community and its systems, when reflective of and responsive to young people's experiences (i.e. bringing young people to the front), will ultimately bring us closer to making youth homelessness rare and brief.
Meet the Team
Robin
Tonny
Fatine
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Director
She/hers
Dr. Robin Petering is the founder and CEO of Lens Co. In 2007, Robin started as a street outreach worker at a homeless youth drop in center in Eugene, OR. Since then she completed her Master’s of Social Work at UCLA and my doctorate in social work at USC. Her work has always been focused on the causes and impacts of the experience of homelessness for young people. In 2018, she founded Lens Co to bridge the gap between community advocacy and data driven research. She can tell you all the best places to sing karaoke in Los Angeles.
She/hers
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Director of Partnership and Sustainability
She/hers
Fatine brings almost a decade of frontline experience from numerous organizations. She first encountered Young People to The Front in 2017 while working at Safe Place for Youth during her year with Americorps. Fatine's background includes working as a case manager in housing, school settings, and diversion, closely collaborating with Culver City School System to reduce young people’s involvement with the criminal justice system. Beyond her role as a case manager, Fatine has taught Hydroponic Farming at the Watts Willowbrook Boys and Girls Club and served as a Volunteer Manager at Safe Place for Youth working closely with the Development, Grants and Fundraising team. Her extensive experience working directly with young people in various roles and collaborating with numerous organizations makes her an ideal leader for our community partnerships, ensuring our deep roots in the community.
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Director of Communications and Policy
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Having experienced homelessness in 2018, Tonny offers a unique perspective from his personal experience to his work. He has been an advocate on numerous boards throughout Los Angeles County, such as Homeless Youth Forum of Los Angeles (HYFLA), where he represented the voice of the youth during the Measure H implementation hearings. He also served nationally on boards like True Colors United YAS, Point Source Youth (PSY), and briefly with the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH). In 2018, Tonny joined the Los Angeles Coalition to End Youth Homelessness (LACEYH) Youth Expert Board. He collaborated with the Hollywood Homeless Youth Partnership (HHYP) to finalize the Young People To The Front policy platform, a campaign focusing on the needs and voices of young people. He was also part of the team that helped the Los Angeles Housing Authority (LAHSA) secure their Youth Homeless Demonstration Program (YHDP) funding. Currently, Tonny hosts the YP2F podcast, designed to raise awareness about youth homelessness. This podcast features conversations with various stakeholders, such as city officials, local activists, service providers, and youth leaders across the city.
Why are we called “Young People to the Front”?
During the female punk movement of early 90s - Riot Grrrl - Girls to the Front. In male-dominated punk scene where men thrashed violently in the mosh pit, girls attending shows were getting lost, hurt, overlooked, and shoved. Hanna enforced a Girls to the Front policy at her shows, refusing to start playing until all the girls were at the front of the stage.
Young People to the Front reimagines this movement. In Los Angeles, the homelessness crisis and response system is a mosh pit. We are demanding that young people are at the front. Doesn’t ignore what is happening overall but ensures that the most vulnerable don’t get lost, hurt, or overlooked.
