At the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards, Miley Cyrus won video of the year for her smash hit “Wrecking Ball.” But what she did next made bigger news – and had a much greater impact.
Instead of accepting the Moon Person trophy herself, Cyrus sent the 22-year old, once-homeless Jesse Helt onstage to receive it on her behalf. Reading from notecards, Helt directed everyone in the room and watching at home to Cyrus’ Facebook page, where they were encouraged to donate to Los Angeles community center My Friend’s Place (MFP). Soon after, Cyrus launched her Happy Hippie Foundation, now a part of her Miley Cyrus Foundation.
“I have always thought of home as my safe place, and I have always had my family who loved me and supported me no matter what. When I started my foundation 12 years ago, I was really moved by the fact that many people, especially people my age at the time, were going through life without either,” Cyrus says today. “And also that I could be living so close, right here in L.A., to where there was such an intense need among youth experiencing homelessness.”
Cyrus now cites that moment at the VMAs as pivotal, saying: “I knew I wanted to use my platform to shine a light on the issues affecting real people that too often we ignore.” Since then, Cyrus has continued supporting My Friend’s Place — and, since 2024, the Downtown Women’s Center (DWC) as well. This month, she is doubling down on those commitments in a major way.
On Oct. 7, My Friend’s Place unveiled plans for a new campus that will offer resources and support in a safe environment for youth experiencing homelessness – with Cyrus named Honorary Chair. Then, on Oct. 10, Cyrus was honored alongside her mom Tish at DWC’s 2026 Every Woman Housed Gala. In celebration, The Miley Cyrus Foundation (MCF) donated $1 million to support the organization, which will help fund its new housing development in Los Angeles’ Skid Row.
Heather Carmichael, executive director of My Friend’s Place, says there is no one word to sum up what Cyrus’ support has meant over the past 12 years. “It has been a kaleidoscope of goodness,” she says. “That experience of being seen by somebody who has captivated the world, to turn their attention to someone who feels so unseen, that’s mind blowing, and really grounding at the same time.”
Miley and Tish were presented with their award by DWC senior peer support specialist Adelene Betha, who turned to My Friend’s Place as a teen and who has met with both Cyrus’ several times over the years through her current work. She says that being able to honor them felt like “paying it forward.”
Speaking from the gala, Betha recalled meeting the mother daughter duo for the first time. “When Tish and Miley came to DWC and I was sharing my story, I could tell that they were listening with intention…And when they were talking about the work that they’ve done and the work that they continue to do, I knew that they were telling the truth.” Once Betha learned that My Friend’s Place was one of the initial spaces Miley’s Happy Hippie Foundation raised funds for, she remembers saying to Miley, “‘Wait, that was you?’ I was like, ‘Ok, this isn’t your first rodeo. You’ve done this before. And not only have you done this before, but you continue to do it.’”
Tish says this work has given her “so much purpose. I was at a time in my life where I was thinking, ‘What do I really want to be doing?’ And this is it. I’ve been able to channel what I have loved for a long time – creating safe and beautiful spaces – with giving back. I am adopted, and I think about how I was given a home and how home really is my safe place. That’s what, as a mother, I tried to create for my own family. Everyone deserves to experience that safe place.”
In Miley’s speech at the gala, she commended her mom for always giving the same love, support and attention to the women they meet at DWC as Miley and her sisters have received their whole lives. To watch Miley match that level of care is what makes Tish most proud as both a mom and manager of a superstar. “There is truly nothing better,” she says. “I think every parent wants to raise their kids to make a difference for the better, and that’s what she’s doing with [her foundation]. Being able to see the impact myself, right here in our own community, brings me so much joy.”
DWC CEO Amy Turk calls Miley a “force of nature” for using her platform to benefit her local community. At the gala – which Turk said was the organization’s “biggest and most successful” in its near-50-year history – she discussed the impact of having both Miley and Tish in their corner, from helping create “dignified” residence spaces and a Day Center to always listening and asking questions. “That kind of curiosity and empathy matters,” she said.”
This year’s annual gala raised $2.2 million for DWC’s new HOME campaign, an initiative to fund housing programs and support services. And with the Miley Cyrus Foundation’s $1 million donation, Turk says that gift will result in a new Skid Row housing development, Rosa’s Place, that will include 97 apartments for women and survivors exiting homelessness. Miley and Tish are both involved with the interior design.
“I said it at the gala and I mean it…part of my role as Honorary Campaign Chair for both DWC and MFP is asking for money!” says Miley. “We have made so much progress, but there is much more to do.”
“I started MCF to honor the women in my life, especially my mom and my grandma, who always inspired me to give back and taught me that your heart is the most important,” she continues. “No matter what I achieve, the kind of person I am when it comes to being kind, compassionate, generous…that’s what matters and defines me. That’s why I care so much about this work.”
This week especially, just days before Miley will return to the stage for two sold-out Hollywood Bowl shows – night one of which she called her “first full set in a while” on Instagram – she is feeling particularly fulfilled. “It truly feels like a full-circle moment in a way,” she says. “My foundation has been very focused on L.A. – I knew that I wanted to focus [on] where I call home and can be directly involved. So playing literally a couple miles away from My Friend’s Place where my philanthropy journey really began is so special.”
Additional reporting by Tetris Kelly.