Downtown Women’s Center: Ending Homelessness for Women in Los Angeles

The Downtown Women’s Center works to give homeless women permanent housing and a safe, healthy community that increases their self-respect and personal stability. Their goal is to eradicate homelessness for women.

The Downtown Women’s Center (DWC) opened in 1978. Before their existance, homeless women were dominated by the “man’s world” of Skid Row and other homeless areas that were only accessible to men. Women, especially mentally ill women, were left homeless on the streets with the closing of psychiatric hospitals in the early 1970s. Thus, Jill Halverson in 1978 founded the city’s first day center for women providing a place to live and meals to women in need.

Statistics: Women in Homelessness

• Over 50% of homeless women are homeless due to domestic violence.
• 75% of poor elderly people are women.
• 60% of women getting public assistance have been victims of domestic violence
• 14% of the homeless population are single women
• 92% of homeless mothers were victims of physical or sexual assault

Women and children are often referred to as “the hidden homeless” because they are the most turned away group of people from homeless shelters due to safety concerns of aggressive homeless men.

“It is not acceptable for children and families to be without a roof over their heads in a country as wealthy as ours.” – President Barack Obama

The DWC provides lasting solutions for homeless women and the children they provide for.

Give Back to the Downtown Women’s Center to Help Homeless Women

You can volunteer or donate to the Downtown Women’s Center to give back.

Volunteering at the Downtown Women’s Center is an easy process. You can choose from one of their available volunteer opportunities and then fill out the individual application or group application and send it to volunteer@dwcweb.org. Then you will have to attend a volunteer orientation/training session (which is not required for all volunteer positions). Check out their events calendar to see which dates work for you.

Don’t have time to volunteer? You can always donate money or in-kind donations. Donate online or send a check to 325 S. Los Angeles Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013. $36 provides a monthly management session for 3 DWC residents and $2000 provides a year of individual and group counseling reaching over 100 women. Every bit helps. For more information on how to donate click here.

You can also contact the Downtown Women’s Center at 213-680-6000 (administrative offices) or 213-613-0761 (day center). They are located at 442 S. San Pedro Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013.

Para Los Niños: Helping Children Succeed

Para los niños, for the children. This non profit organization is focused on the social wellbeing of children and their academic success. Providing high-quality education and family support services, Para Los Niños partners with charter schools and communities to alleviate the stresses of living in high-poverty areas of Los Angeles.

The Inspiration that Lead to the Formation of Para Los Niños

In 1979, an article was published by the LA Times illustrating children living in Skid Row, wandering the dangerous streets while their parents worked to support them. These “forgotten children” were forced to fend for themselves during the day, and their education and well being was overlooked. 90% of them did not attend school.

Tanya Tull formed Para Los Niños within a year of this article being published. It started in a previously owned false eyelash factor where at-risk children could have a safe environment with the chance of an education. With poverty at an all-time high in Los Angeles, Para Los Niños attempts to build stable families and create hopeful futures for children. They now help over 7,000 children, youth and families annually with their 400 employees over 22 locations. For a list of locations visit their Fact Sheet.

Margarita’s Story

“Margarita has a big smile on her face these days. After battling severe depression brought on by her mother’s drug addiction and months of living in foster care, Margarita now lives a peaceful life with her father.

Fourteen-year-old Margarita was referred to Para Los Niños’ Mental Health Services by her County case worker. Margarita had been removed from her mother’s care due to her mother’s drug use. Unfortunately, this turn of events left Margarita severely depressed, with thoughts of suicide. Margarita’s condition was so poor that Para Los Niños immediately arranged for psychiatric hospitalization for the heartbroken girl.

When Margarita was released from the hospital, she returned to Para Los Niños for outpatient care. Medication and therapy had relieved the worst of her symptoms, but Margarita was still a very troubled girl. She did not respond to her foster mother, and was faring poorly in school. Para Los Niños’ therapists – with the help of Margarita’s caring foster mother – helped Margarita cope with her situation. The therapists also reached out to Margarita’s mother. Sadly, Margarita’s mother, deep into her drug addiction, refused to help Margarita.

Soon, though, a relative of Margarita’s long-absent father discovered that Margarita was living in foster care. Her father had no idea of his daughter’s circumstances. With the help of her therapists, Margarita reconnected with her father, and her depression lifted. Margarita was able to discontinue the use of medication, and her case was closed when she successfully reunited with her father and his family.”

How You Can Help Para Los Niños

More than 6 million children go home alone each week. A child in California is born into poverty every 5 minutes. A child in California is abused or neglected every 4 minutes. Para Los Niños needs your help to alleviate these terrifying statistics.

You can help Para Los Niños by donating or becoming a mentor. To become a mentor you need to complete an application, pass a background check, submit a DMV driving record, participate in a personal interview, provide 4 references, attend the Orientation, and attend a four hour mentor training. You can download the application here. For more information on becoming a mentor visit them on there website www.paralosninos.org.

To donate to Para Los Niños click here. Your donation will go directly to help a child living in poverty in Los Angeles.

To contact Para Los Niños headquarters, email them at info@paralosninos.org or call them at 213-250-4800. You can also visit their website at www.paralosninos.org.

The Giving Spirit: Over 3,500 Lives Improved in 2010

The Giving Spirit is coming up on its twelfth year bringing immediate aid in the form of “survival kits” to homeless women, children, and men in Los Angeles. These kits include anything from fruit, water, and granola bars to diapers, toothpaste, toilet paper, soap and other basic necessities. The kits are directly distributed to people living on the street.

What makes The Giving Spirit special is that they are an all-volunteer organization that creates tangible results to the homeless problem in Los Angeles, while educating at the same time. The Giving Spirit has a large (and still growing) base of volunteers that knows how to use the tools they are given to improve the homeless condition.

Highlighting the Harsh Realities: A Testimonial From a Homeless Pregnant Woman

Cynthia Berry is pregnant and homeless and survives by selling incense on the Venice boardwalk. When she heard someone was giving away backpacks full of food and supplies, she was among the first to show up among The Giving Spirit Volunteers.

Ms. Berry claimed a backpack and a free bag lunch and sat down to eat in the shade. She said life on the streets can be hard for a woman, especially one struggling with morning sickness. Things have been better since she and her husband recently got an old RV to sleep in, she said, although police often rouse them from the local parking lots.

Her young friends, who also claimed backpacks, said they have tried to find work, but even minimum wage employers are looking for workers with more experience.

How can I volunteer with The Giving Spirit?

The Giving Spirit can be found on their website, their blog, or their Facebook page. You can also sign up to volunteer at events by going to their event page and signing up for volunteer shifts.

Want to donate? You can also donate online. Donations go directly to survival kits to relieve the homeless.

Do you have more questions? Visit The Giving Spirit contact page in order to contact them by email, by phone or on twitter.

Los Angeles Mission: Ameliorating the Homeless on Skid Row

For over 70 years, the Los Angeles Mission has worked serving the homeless population living on the streets of Skid Row. They pride themselves on providing “compassionate, humanitarian services to those in desperate need.”

Skid Row is in Downtown Los Angeles, specifically Central City East with one of the largest stable homeless populations in the country. Between seven and eight thousand people live on Skid Row. The Los Angeles Mission works to help Skid Row resident women, men and children in need.

What makes the Los Angeles Mission so different is that they build their core values on hope, love, compassion, and healthy relationships. They focus on helping the homeless battle alcoholism, drug addiction, physical and emotional abuse and a lack of education, healthcare, and employment.

Celebrities are known to frequent the Los Angeles Mission events offering food and shelter to many homeless people on Skid Row. 3,000 Christmas dinners were passed out by celebrities on Christmas Eve, hosted by Jennifer Love Hewitt who said:

“Anyone would be moved by the kids on Skid Row meeting Santa and receiving gifts on Christmas Eve.”

Young Disney stars serve Thanksgiving at Los Angeles Mission

Are you interested in volunteering with the Los Angeles Mission?

Orientations are scheduled regularly and they welcome both individual and group volunteers. You can call (213) 639-1227 for more information of visit the Los Angeles Mission website.  You can also make an online donation if you do not have time to go down and help out firsthand.

Want to know more? Follow them on twitter at @ilovelamission.