Skid Row or Bust! The first account....

Where to start…? Skid Row was amazing. I am humbled, grateful and inspired by what I saw there. Compassion, skill, life. So glad SJW team members were able to join me.

Some background:

Skid Row is a 50-block containment area in Los Angeles, California. Since the early 1900's, skid row is an area that homeless individuals from across the country would find themselves - literally the "end of the line" for the railroad. The "hobo" image of old: white men who drank and rode the rails was the initial the population there. Over the past century there were infusions of people resulting from the depression, world wars, and the de-institutionalization of mental hospitals. After the Vietnam era, the population diversified tremendously and drug use was prevalent. The sixties and seventies brought racial diversity to the area, the eighties and nineties ushered in women and children. Today estimates range from 50,000-80,000 people in skid row. As grim as this is, rest assured there are amazing beacons of hope and help shining bright in the zone-skid row.

Here are just a few highlights:

St. Vincent de Paul's Cardinal Manning Center: A clear leader in the zone (Skid Row). They provide shelter for homeless men women and children, respite, and seminar series' that educate and connect other non-profit agencies on skid row. An amazing facet of St. Vincent de Paul is their ability to respond to the local need. "No act of charity is foreign to the Society" is their living and evident motto.

Lamp Community: talk about compassion and respect! They help L.A.'s homeless who need special care for mental illnesses, substance abuse, and housing alternatives and take a unique approach to upholding human individuality. A likeness of this organization was portrayed in the movie The Soloist, which I recommend for its non-fairy tale portrayal of an individual living with schizophrenia. As Stuart from Lamp Community said - we all have the right to housing, we also have the right to not be forced into the type of housing others think we should have.

Chrysalis: Wow! What a treat to visit an organization whose mission and philosophy seem to mirror what SJW strives for. It was a joy to be on the receiving side of this tour and to learn about techniques and programs of another employment agency. Philosophy and approach to job development is eerily similar to SJW's. Their intake approach is quite different. While Chrysalis offers enrollment to all who enter their facility (that's right: all), the enrollment process is extensive, including ten brief courses on job readiness and life skill issues. Chrysalis also operates a staffing agency and work contracts through which they employ the individuals most in need of that "first chance". Individuals receive on the job training and the soft skills necessary to move on to competitive employment while the contract (street sweeping, power washing) generates over 50% of the organization's $6.8M budget. A simple yet profound teaching goal of Chrysalis Enterprises: teach new employees to "look professional, act professional, and care".

Interesting facet of the Los Angeles business community are the BIDS - Business Improvement Districts through which local businesses impose a self-assessment to supplement the city's security and sanitation efforts. Several of Chrysalis Enterprises work contracts are with local BIDS. http://cityclerk.lacity.org/bids/index.htm

Next I'll tell you about Homeboy Industries but will sign out for now. I've been advised to keep these posts short (I’m working on that part).

Thanks for reading this maiden entry! Please "follow" my blog, post comments and let me know what you would like to hear about as I continue this amazing journey spanning the Red Wood Forests to the New York island.

God bless and so long for now!

Amy