About Us

Ashlee’s Homeless Fund (AHF) was founded in 2020 by retired substance abuse and life skills counselor Christine Barry.

AHF grew out of Barry’s initial NextDoor.com fundraising campaign to supplement the meager monthly stipend allotted to the Long Beach Police Department’s Quality of Life (QOL) homelessness assistance squad.

Aware of the rising incidence of homelessness in her own southeast Long Beach area, Barry did a police ride-along in 2018, where she befriended then-QOL team member Officer Rich Armond. She then made it her goal to assist the efforts of Armond, who routinely went above and beyond the call of duty to help the unhoused, along with his fellow QOL officers.

What was initially a NextDoor fundraiser rapidly became a calling for Barry.  When founding the nonprofit, she decided to name it in honor of Officer Armond’s daughter Ashlee Armond, who tragically passed away in an automobile accident in 2014 at the age of 20. Barry suffered the loss of her 33-year-old son Michael, a liver transplant recipient. She found in common with Officer Armond the desire to direct personal grief toward actively bettering the world around them in a tangible way.

As a result, “Christine Barry” quickly became the go-to name for many in the community looking to connect the unhoused to shelter, services, and support.

Ever since, Barry has led AHF in its work of getting folks on the street in Long Beach into safety and out of the cold.

AHF helps the unhoused find emergency shelter, transitional housing. and long-term support.  It provides crucial assistance navigating those in chemical dependency to detox/rehab treatment.  And one of AHF’s most important services is providing transportation back home to families, wherever that may be, nearby or across the country.