DignityMoves, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending street homelessness, today announced the promotion of its Chief Operating Officer Freya Estreller to include the role of president, Los Angeles and Southern California Region.
Estreller, who has been a major force within DignityMoves since September 2022, will be overseeing the expansion of DignityMoves’ innovative solutions throughout Los Angeles in the Southern California region. Since its inception just four years ago, DignityMoves has already successfully completed 11 interim supportive housing communities across California, with over a dozen more underway.
“The magnitude of the unsheltered homelessness crisis in the Los Angeles region merits significant additional focus,” says Elizabeth Funk, co-founder and CEO of DignityMoves. “Freya has been instrumental in securing our first few LA communities and will bring her extensive network and passion to significantly further expand our ability to help the LA region address the unsheltered crisis.”
DignityMoves is already underway with two new interim supportive housing communities in LA. The first is in CD13, in partnership with Hope the Mission, the City of Los Angeles, and the State of California. Based in East Hollywood, the site is made possible thanks to a public-private partnership including funding from the City of Los Angeles, the State of California, and private philanthropy. This new community will include 51 beds — 10 beds for transitional-age youth and 41 adult beds — with modular units built by BOSS Cubez. The opening is planned for January 2027.
DignityMoves will also develop in Los Angeles CD4 in partnership with the City of Los Angeles and Aviva Family & Children’s Services. Based in Hollywood, this perinatal substance use disorder residential treatment facility will provide a lifeline for pregnant and postpartum women experiencing street homelessness. The project will include 27 beds, a medical room, exercise room, and laundry room, offering safety and dignity for mothers and their newborns. Once open, the program will serve 40 to 50 families each year, pairing stable housing with wraparound care including maternal health, substance use treatment, and case management. Construction is expected to begin in summer 2026, with the opening planned for 2027.
Estreller began her career in real estate development, project management, acquisitions, and finance at Ryan Homes in Northern Virginia; Abode Communities, a nonprofit affordable housing developer in Southern California; and at a multifamily real estate fund focused on Echo Park/Silverlake before that.
Her career took a turn into consumer goods when she and her wife co-founded Coolhaus Ice Cream in 2009 as food truck and artisanal food pioneers. Coolhaus was the largest women-led and LGBTQ+- founded ice cream company (since sold to The Urgent Company). As COO of Tea Drops, a minority and woman-founded Organic and Fair Trade omnichannel tea company, Estreller scaled the team and company revenues from $400K to $10M while raising $8M in seed and Series A funding. She holds a BA in Sociology with a minor in Business from Cornell University.
Estreller brings a unique combination of entrepreneurial startup experience and extensive real estate development expertise. A rare combination, this skillset is the ideal match for DignityMoves’ rapidly-scaling expansion.
“As a Los Angeles native, I am beyond passionate about giving back to the city where I grew up — and love — and where I am now raising my family,” said Estreller. “I am working every day to bring my vast startup and real estate experience to scale DignityMoves and fulfill its mission to end unsheltered street homelessness.”
About DignityMoves
DignityMoves is a nonprofit organization that is reimagining scalable solutions to street homelessness. In partnership with cities, supportive services agencies, and private stakeholders, DignityMoves rapidly builds cost-effective interim supportive housing communities. It is committed to driving systemic change to build an ecosystem that supports the growth of interim supportive housing as a powerful tool in ending street homelessness. For more information, visit dignitymoves.org.