Charity Spotlight: Fighting the Horrors of Skid Row
Most people use the term "skid row" figuratively, referring to a place a person might end up if they fall on hard times. In
Recently, media attention ranging from the Los Angeles Times to 60 Minutes has focused on hospitals illegally "dumping" indigent patients on Skid Row. This common practice gained new attention after a security camera caught a 63-year-old woman wandering the streets in a hospital gown after being sent to Skid Row in a taxi by officials at an area hospital.
If you would like to do your part to help residents of Skid Row you can start by donating to one of the many charities working on the front lines to help provide services to the poor on Skid Row. The table below lists four highly-rated charities that work to improve the lives those living on the streets of Skid Row. Click on each charity to view their rating. You can then make an online contribution by clicking on the Network for Good Donate Now button featured on the charity's Charity Navigator ratings page.
Of course, the problem of homelessness is not unique to LA. While Downtown Los Angeles has a clearly defined Skid Row, there are similar areas in almost every city in this country. If you would like to find out more about the conditions faced by the poor locally and support a charity that addresses the problems of the homeless in your area, then you can find one by browsing through our list of Homeless Services charities.
| Name | Program Highlights |
|---|---|
| The Midnight Mission | Located in Skid Row, the Midnight Mission is one of the oldest continuously operating human services organizations in the Los Angeles region and offers a bridge to self-sufficiency for homeless people through counseling, education, training and job placement. Also makes available the necessities of life to homeless people: food, shelter, clothing, personal hygiene needs, and medical care. |
| Downtown Women's Center | The Downtown Women's Center provides 40,000 meals, 47 permanent supportive housing units, and a wide array of health, education, and other supportive services to more than 2,000 homeless and very low-income women each year. In the local Skid Row community, the Downtown Women's Center is the only resource that is exclusively for and singularly dedicated to serving the unique needs of this population. |
| Union Rescue Mission, Los Angeles | Union Rescue Mission is the largest rescue mission of its kind in the United States and the oldest in Los Angeles. Provides a comprehensive array of emergency and long-term services at no cost to guests, including food, shelter, clothing, medical and dental care, recovery programs, transitional housing, legal assistance, education, counseling, and job training to needy men, women, children, and families. |
| Chrysalis | Chrysalis helps over 2,300 clients per year develop the skills they need to get jobs and attain economic independence. 93% of those who complete Chrysalis's Job Readiness Curriculum find work, achieve self-sufficiency through employment, and attain a future of hope. |