Kobe Bryant Foundation to Give a Leg Up to Step Up on Second

Kobe Bryant and wife Vanessa announced a new nonprofit on Tuesday—and Santa Monica's is poised to benefit from it. 

The Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation will focus on improving the lives of youths and families in need. Its first priority is helping homeless kids in L.A., but it will also support permanent-housing efforts, for which the foundation is planning to team with Step Up on Second.

The Bryants made the announcement at a news conference held at My Friend's Place, a drop-in center for homeless kids in Hollywood.

"On my way to games, I noticed children and families living on the streets blocks away from where I play, and it didn't sit well with me," Bryant said."I wanted to help make a difference in homelessness, and what better place to start than in my own backyard."

The foundation will also support programs and organizations that provide resources for education and career development, and make a PSA revolving around youth homelessness.

According to My Friend's Place, every year, there are nearly 10,000 homeless people under age 24 living on the streets of L.A.

Step Up on Second is a Santa Monica-based organization that specializes in providing psychosocial rehabilitation and support to those who have been affected by severe and persistent mental illnesses.

City News Service contributed to this report.