A Song of Compassion: Streisand and Brolin’s $5 Million Gift to Malibu’s Homeless

In the sun-dappled hills of Malibu, where ocean waves kiss cliffs and celebrity estates gleam, Barbra Streisand and James Brolin stood before a modest crowd on October 21, 2025, their voices trembling with purpose as they unveiled a transformative gift: $5 million in recent royalties and sponsorship earnings to fund a network of homeless support centers in their longtime community, promising 150 housing units and 300 shelter beds for those society often overlooks.

A heartfelt pledge born from local pain.
At a press conference outside Malibu City Hall, Streisand, 83, the EGOT legend whose 150 million albums sold include timeless hits like “The Way We Were,” spoke with raw emotion. “We’ve seen too many people struggling just miles from where the stars shine brightest,” she said, her iconic voice cracking as she gestured toward the Pacific Coast Highway, where encampments dot the margins of million-dollar views. “No one should be invisible—not in this country, not in this city.” Brolin, 85, the rugged Marcus Welby, M.D. star and her husband of 27 years, stood beside her, his hand steadying hers. “This is our home,” he added, referencing their 1998 marriage and cliffside estate. “We can’t turn away from our neighbors.” The donation, drawn from Streisand’s Timeless Tour royalties—grossing $200 million in 2025—and Brolin’s residuals from Sweet Tooth and Ford endorsements, marks their largest joint philanthropy since founding the Streisand Foundation in 1986.

The Malibu Haven Initiative takes shape.

The funds seed the Malibu Haven Initiative, a collaboration with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and nonprofits like The People Concern. Set to break ground in summer 2026, the project includes three facilities: a 100-unit permanent housing complex in central Malibu with job training, a 30-unit family shelter near Zuma Beach with child care, and a 20-unit veteran-focused center near Point Dume with mental health services. The 300 emergency beds, equipped with medical clinics and addiction support, aim to serve 1,200 people annually, reducing street homelessness by 30% in Malibu, where 2024 counts reported 600 unhoused residents. “This isn’t a handout—it’s a hand up,” Streisand told reporters, her Brooklyn roots surfacing in her resolve. The initiative builds on her foundation’s $25 million in grants for women’s health and environmental justice, including $5 million to Cedars-Sinai’s Heart Institute in 2014.

A personal mission rooted in empathy.
Streisand’s activism is as storied as her voice. Born April 24, 1942, in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg, she rose from poverty—her mother a school secretary, her father dying when she was 15 months old—to become a global icon with 10 Grammys and two Oscars. “I know what it’s like to feel unseen,” she said, recalling nights sharing a bed with her mother in a cramped apartment. Brolin, born in LA’s Westwood, saw similar struggles in his early acting days, couch-surfing before The Amityville Horror fame. Their Malibu life—where they’ve hosted fundraisers for Clinton and Obama—hasn’t dulled their lens on inequality. “We drive past tents every day,” Brolin told Variety. “Barbra said, ‘Enough talk—let’s build.’” Their son, Jason Gould, 58, joined the announcement via Zoom, his recent “The Way We Were” duet with Streisand still trending. “Mom’s heart is her superpower,” he said, pledging $100,000 from his music sales.

The music world rallies in solidarity.
The announcement lit up the industry like a Broadway marquee. #MalibuHaven trended No. 1 globally on X, with 12 million mentions by 11:43 PM EDT. Carrie Underwood tweeted: “Barbra and James are singing love in action—proud!” P!nk posted: “This is how legends use their light. 💖” Josh Groban, fresh from his “Somewhere” duet with Streisand in LA, shared: “They’re building homes where hope lives.” Fans flooded TikTok with clips of Streisand’s 1986 “Somewhere” performance, captioned “From songs to shelters—Babs does it all.” Streams of her catalog surged 250%, with “Evergreen” climbing Spotify’s Viral 50. Even conservative voices, often skeptical of Streisand’s liberal leanings, nodded approval: a Fox News op-ed called it “a rare bipartisan win.” Donations to the initiative’s GoFundMe, seeded with $50,000 from Streisand’s tour merch, hit $300,000 overnight, fans echoing her call: “No one’s invisible.”

A community confronts its contrasts.
Malibu, with its $2 million median home prices and A-list enclaves, juxtaposes starkly with its growing homeless crisis—exacerbated by 2024’s housing crunch and wildfire displacements. The initiative addresses this head-on: the housing units, designed with eco-friendly materials per Streisand’s environmental advocacy, include solar panels and community gardens. “We’re not just building beds; we’re building futures,” Brolin said, citing job programs modeled on LA’s Skid Row successes. Local leaders praised the move: Mayor Steve Uhring called it “a game-changer,” projecting 200 jobs from construction. Critics, though, whispered of optics—Malibu’s elite pushing back on encampment sweeps—but Streisand dismissed it: “This isn’t politics; it’s people.” The couple’s hands-on role, from site visits to fundraising galas, silences doubters.

A legacy of love in action.
This gift builds on Streisand’s philanthropy: $1 million to COVID relief in 2020, $5 million to racial justice in 2021. Brolin, whose Life in Pieces residuals fund youth arts, matches her zeal. “We’re old enough to know time’s short,” he quipped, arm around Streisand. The couple lingered post-conference, meeting unhoused residents like Maria, a former teacher who lost her home in 2023’s floods. “Barbra listened,” Maria told The Malibu Times. “She saw me.” The initiative, set to house 400 by 2028, projects a 25% drop in chronic homelessness, per LA County estimates. “It’s not enough, but it’s a start,” Streisand said, her voice a vow.

A melody of hope in a fractured world.
In a 2025 landscape of tariff wars and cultural rifts, Streisand and Brolin’s gift is a ballad of unity. Their Timeless Tour duets—with Jason Gould, Josh Groban—proved music’s power to connect; this donation proves its power to heal. As fans on X wrote, “Barbra doesn’t just sing—she saves.” TikTok tributes paired “People” with shelter renderings, captioned “Her voice builds homes.” At the presser’s close, Streisand hummed a bar of “Evergreen,” Brolin joining softly. It wasn’t a performance—it was a promise: no one’s invisible when love takes the stage. In Malibu’s starlit nights, their $5 million sings a truth louder than any chart-topper: compassion is the legacy that endures.