THE WORLD’S FIRST HOMELESS SHELTER RUN BY THE HOMELESS COMMUNITY

We took people that were living on the streets of Skid Row who were willing and able to work and put them through a career development program that focused on the 2 key areas that we believed would make the greatest impact. Their mindset and their skill set.

We essentially created the first homeless shelter in the world run entirely by people experiencing homelessness. It was an incubation program that gave people an opportunity they couldn’t get elsewhere.

An opportunity to develop the skills and experience they needed to land jobs. Not just any job… But good jobs that allowed them to make more than minimum wage with career advancement opportunities that surpassed what they could receive on welfare.

Our program participants did everything from Case management, community outreaches, food distribution, security, maintenance, and even construction. They even trained the volunteer teams that came to help the homeless community of Skid Row.

All my team and I did was provide guidance and a bit of training.

Word spread quickly throughout downtown LA about the lives that were being changed and within just a couple months we were selected as one of KTLA’s Heroes at Home.

After we were featured on national television we started getting contacted by nonprofit organizations from all over the country that wanted us to teach them how to facilitate our programs, which is what we’ve been doing since 2010.

PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS

Urban Connection’s experimental incubation program consisted of those who lived on the streets of Skid Row. With a little guidance and training, our program participants did everything from Case management, community outreaches, food distribution, security, maintenance, and even construction. They even trained the volunteer teams that came to help the homeless community of Skid Row.