Lutheran Social Services of Northern California

Lutheran Social Services operates throughout Northern California to prevent and remedy homelessness. The organization’s goal is to house people and keep them housed.

Lutheran Social Services was informally founded in 1883 in San Francisco when a group of Lutherans gathered for a celebration of Martin Luther’s 400th birthday. They took the occasion to raise money for “orphans and widows,” and the movement took off. A merger of several like-minded groups happened in 1968 and was formally named Lutheran Social Services. Today, LSS serves primarily Northern Californians, but the service region formally stretches from San Luis Obispo to the Oregon border.

Today, the main goal of LSS is to end homelessness. The organization provides a large array of services: housing, employment counseling, job training, financial literacy, and more. Each unhoused person is seen as a true individual with a unique set of circumstances. Clients of all ages have received help finding shelter.

Since shifting the institutional focus to solely homeless solutions in 1992, more than 4,000 individuals have been saved from the streets and have stayed off the streets. LSS has 32 supportive housing programs in seven different California counties. The group also partners with Lutheran Disaster Response for short- and long-term aid and resources.

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