In 2020, Homies Unidos served over 5,000 families throughout Los Angeles
Our Community Response Initiative (CRI) has reduced food insecurity by coordinating free grocery distributions in communities plagued by poverty and violence. We have also helped to reduce the spread of Covid-19 by providing vaccine pop-up clinics and providing free PPE.
In 2022, we distributed outreach bags with PPE and bilingual Covid-19 informational materials to 5,2551 individual community members. We served free groceries to 5,361 individuals at 58 different locations within Koreatown, Westlake, Pico-Union and South Central. We also expanded our reach to El Monte in April 2022 by coordinating grocery distributions at our satellite office, Memories of El Monte, serving free food to 384 individuals.
Homies Unidos has partnered with Para Los Ninos, Brite Spot Cafe, Help the Children, Baby 2 Baby, LA Latino Coalition, the Black and Brown Alliance for Justice, and City and ounty officials to provide groceries and essential need items to our most vulnerable community members, including undocumented and mixed status households left out of government relief funds, teen parents, single parents, formerly incarcerated individuals, and families of currently incarcerated individuals.
In partnership with Second Call, we have initiated our Black and Brown Braking Bread campaign, every Thursday we take needed food and services to directly affected neighborhoods where violence has escalated or recent police brutality has a negative impact. By sharing food in these neighborhoods we intend to help bridge the divide between black and brown but also heal from the pain of police brutality.
COVID-19 has heightened the financial burden on the communities we serve, and the CRI has developed in response to community demands for support in light of these trying times. We understand that vulnerable individuals are currently at an increased risk of discontinuing their education, becoming victims of violence, experiencing food insecurity and homelessness, and getting entangled in the web that is our criminal justice system. By addressing this gap with the CRI, we are strengthening our community relations and letting those in need know that they are valued and not alone.
We are also accepting donated goods such as essential care items, including: water bottles, toilet paper and toiletries, hand sanitizer, 99% isopropyl alcohol, aloe vera gel, hand soap, female hygiene products, diapers and infant care items. Please contact our Executive Director, Alex Sanchez (213) 383-7484 for more information.
Impact of Covid-19:
In light of California’s and Los Angeles’ Stay at Home orders, our office has ceased all on-site operations that are non-essential, including programming, community events, and our annual Central American Youth Leadership Conference. Our team is currently working remotely, maintaining virtual and telephonic communication with the youth and families we serve.
This has challenged us to be creative in serving our community while safeguarding the health and wellness of our staff, who are all resilient individuals passionate about social justice. Amidst the current crisis, Homies Unidos launched our Community Response Initiative (CRI) to mitigate some of the most immediate needs of our community. Through the CRI, Homies Unidos has served over 5,000 families in Koreatown, Pico-Union, Westlake/Rampart, South Central, and surrounding communities. What started as a bi-weekly project has expanded to serve additional communities now three times per week on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Our team also accepts in-kind donations and has distributed diapers, hygiene items, and care packages to community members and individuals experiencing homelessness and joblessness.
