Updates

The Downtown Women’s Center Coalition released its 2013 Needs Assessment.

Highlights:

>>The percentage of homeless women living in the Skid Row community has steadily remained the same since 1995

>>39.1% of this population is between age 51-61, making the elder population the largest

View the report in its entirety here

By simply shopping through online retailers from more than 4,000 online stores. Your purchase can generate a donation to LA Mission at no additional cost to you!

For more information and to get started on your Ziggedy account: https://losangelesmission.org/give/ziggedy/

Find out more about the Ziggedy online fundraising platform, watch this brief YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g-WGlzbovk

Started in August 2012, the program couldn’t be simpler: our volunteer Glean Teams distribute empty boxes to the farmers and then collect the filled boxes of unsold fresh produce. The volunteers weigh the donations and immediately upon collection, we distribute to local agencies (all 501.c.3 non-profits located within 10 miles of each market). The receiving agencies pick up on site and pass it on to their clients within 1 – 3 days. The farmers receive a tax deduction for their donation and local non-profits receive fresh free produce for the people they serve.

With 128 farmers markets held on a weekly basis across Los Angeles County, Food Forward’s new Farmers Market Recovery Program, now operating at Santa Monica (Wednesdays, Sundays), Hollywood, Studio City, Mar Vista, Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Larchmont, West Hollywood, Culver City, and Torrance (Tuesdays) markets, offers the only formal market-endorsed donation system for farmers wanting to help fight hunger with their unsold produce.

With collections happening in only 11 markets each week, we are averaging 25,000 pounds of fresh free produce per month!

Check out Food Forward‘s work or how to Volunteer

Phoenix House Southern California is celebrating a success about the launch of there Behavioral Health Intervention and Support Services (BHIS) throughout Orange County School Systems.

These prevention and intervention services help young people develop self-esteem with the cognitive, emotional, and social skills to overcome life challenges.

Now we may ask, what does this have to do will Community Productions overall mission. And the answer is simple, when mechanisms like there are in place they decrease negative behaviors. In essence youth may no longer turn to self destructive behavior i.e drug use or engage in risky behavior which may lead them to become involved in  California’s justice systems. Education and Prevention are the best tools to tackle social problems!

Read more here

PovertyInsights.org an online blog part of PATH LA shares a disturbing article about the level of homeless students in the U.S school’s…

The U.S. Department of Education revealed that the number of homeless students in the United States is on the rise (and has been for decades). Their survey found that during the 2012-2013 school year, there were 1.3 million homeless students in the U.S.—which is an 18 percent increase from 2010-2011.

Read more here

The city of Pasadena repurposes its parking meters to collect change for homeless

The special donation meter program is a collaboration with United Way and various city governments. Learn more about the program here: http://realchangemovement.org/

View the LA Times article here: Parking Meters for Homeless

View the latest research from Food Waste Reduction Alliance and their efforts to reduce food waste throughout all sectors…

*Food Manufactors donated 106 million pounds of food

*Now more than 40% of wasted food from grocery stores is donated or recycled

*Resturant’s donate 22% of food waste

View entire article here: Food Waste Statistics

An initiative of United Way of Greater Los Angeles & LA Area Chamber of Commerce to end chronic and veteran homelessness in LA by 2016

Watch the video to learn about the #HomeForGood Campaign: 100 Days of Homelessness

More Details: #HomeForGood

Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority offers a interactive map of homeless services per district.

Have a look here: Planning Maps

Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority is looking to fill 6,000 volunteer positions for its annual LA Homeless Count

Join us to make a difference in the lives of homeless men, women, and children throughout Los Angeles County by taking part in the nation’s largest homeless census.

More Details: 6,000 Volunteers Needed

The EAF program was started in 1982 as a seasonal winter program lasting only eight to twelve weeks and helping on average 4,000 families. The program has since grown to meet the expanding need of the community, serving approximately 14,000 households over a 12 month period. Since 1982, SCE and its employees have assisted over 200,000 families through investments of approximately $12 million into the program with an additional $4 million contributed from their customers. SCE and United Way of Greater Los Angeles have partnered for over 30 years on the Energy Assistance Fund.

More Information: Energy Assistance Fund

United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) just released a new study titled Children of the Recession, documenting the state of poverty for children in WEALTHY countries.

One in Three children are living in poverty in the United States! This means that one third of of our nations children reside in homes defined as poor, where the household in come is below 60% of the national median income.

Full Report here: http://www.unicef.org/publications/index_76438.html

Poverty Insights provides some commentary here: http://www.povertyinsights.org/2014/11/11/too-close-to-home-lets-not-kid-around-about-child-poverty/

Recently Imagine LA partnered with The Berger Institute to do a comprehensive study on the cost of homelessness in LA County.Click here to view the results and find out more about Imagine LA and The Berger Institute: http://www.imaginela.org/news/2013/10/the-berger-institute-study-on-the-cost-of-family-homelessness-reveals-enormous-roi-for-imagine-la.html

Though the thought of ending homelessness in LA might seem overwhelming. Imagine LA provides 10 simple steps on how you can make a impact in helping end homelessness in one’s community

See how you can make a difference: http://www.imaginela.org/news/!0%20Ways%20You%20Can%20Help%20End%20Homelessness.pdf

Mildred Crush foundation is seeking donations in continuing to meet the needs of the hundreds of people they  serve every month

Offering various programs like: bi-monthly Food Distrubtion, after school mentoring, educational programs and programs for children whose parents are incarcerated.

Mildred Crush Foundation is in collaboration with the Vera Davis Center located at 610 California Ave in Venice, CA

to make a donation visit: http://www.mildredcurshfoundation.com/donations.html

For Information about the Mildred Crush Foundation and the services they provide visit: http://www.mildredcurshfoundation.com/

New affordable housing unit dedicated to transition formally homeless resident on the westside!

Del Rey Square will consist of:

124 units

Project based Section 8 units and tax credit units

Located near the intersection of Culver and Inglewood Blvds

View original article: http://billrosendahl.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/rosendahl-welcomes-seniors-vets-at-grand-opening-of-affordable-housing/

“Los Angeles has the largest population of homeless military veterans in the nation.  The V.A. estimates that more than 8,000 homeless veterans live on our streets, accounting for eleven percent (11%) of all homeless veterans nationwide.” -ND

To learn more about Veteran Unemployment and Homelessness visit our friends at New Directions and see what their doing to support Veterans in Los Angeles!!

CLARE Foundation states in their Winter 2013 Newsletter…

“…Imagine you’ve heard or read the alarming statistic that, of the 23.1 million Americans who suffer from substance use disorder, only 2.6 million (or 11%) actually receive treatment1. In light of these upsetting numbers, I urge you to take a moment to reflect on the reasons why 89% of Americans in need do not or cannot access lifesaving treatment services.
Of the 20.5 million Americans who need but do not receive substance abuse treatment each year, 32.9% report that they are not treated because they have no healthcare coverage and cannot afford the cost of treatment. This means that 6.7 million Americans each year do not receive substance abuse treatment because their financial situation does not allow them to access it.
Starting in 2014, the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) will help to change these statistics. In addition to listing substance use disorder as one of ten “essential health benefits” that all insurance providers must cover, the PPACA will extend healthcare coverage to millions of uninsured Americans through expansions of public benefits and the construction of state healthcare exchanges. In California alone, an extension of MediCal benefits to all individuals at or below 133% of the federal poverty limit will insure approximately two million people, and Covered California, the state’s healthcare exchange, will offer affordable, accessible coverage to millions more…”

Read more at http://www.clarefoundation.org/ under “About Us” tab “CLARE Newsletter”

“Los Angeles has the largest population of homeless military veterans in the nation.  The V.A. estimates that more than 8,000 homeless veterans live on our streets, accounting for eleven percent (11%) of all homeless veterans nationwide.  Many of these men and women suffer from Co-Occurring Disorders, including substance abuse, mental illness and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as chronic medical problems.” According to New Directions website

New Directions has provided comprehensive services to thousands of veterans in Los Angeles County.

Learn about New Directions and the services they offer at http://www.newdirectionsinc.org/

PATH Ventures and Connections Housing redefines homeless shelters…

“…Traditionally, when a homeless shelter is completed and the sheets are finally tucked into the beds, the doors open and thousands of people struggling with homelessness flock to the shelter like it’s a mad game of musical chairs. But, in many cases, it’s more like “musical beds,” resulting in thousands of people stuck on the streets with many still lingering in the neighborhood around the shelter.

In Connections Housing’s approach, however, outreach to those on the streets has been strategically targeted toward people sleeping in the area around the building and those who have been stranded on the streets for years, most of whom are struggling with long-term disabilities. For months now, outreach teams have been methodically preparing people on the streets for their new housed lives.

The goal is to ensure that the neighborhood surrounding the development benefits from a reduction of homelessness…”

Read more of the article at: http://www.povertyinsights.org/2013/03/04/san-diego-refines-its-approach-to-homelessness/#more-4636

Connections Housing Grand Opening: March 11, 2013 details at http://www.epath.org/headlines/path-sd-connections-housing-grand-opening-monday-march-11th-2013