PROBLEM:
Los Angeles is suffering from a homeless epidemic. Government, big companies and larger organizations have been unable to stop the growing number of homeless or even serve the existing homeless we have in our city. Even here at SOFESA our efforts pre-COVID were beginning to be unsuccessful. After serving our homeless brothers and sisters for 20 years, we shut down our Emergency Outreach Program in order to come up with a better model of care for our families in need. SOFESA has spent the past 3 years researching, traveling to other cities and states, and connecting with other programs in order to create and implement a model of care for our families here.
SOLUTION:
What SOFESA found was that there is a huge gap between the housed and the unhoused populations in a local community. We also learned that homelessness is not something to be SOLVED, but something to be HEALED.
SOFESA believes that in order to heal the BIG problem of homelessnesss, we need to think and act SMALL. Our founder and director, Jess Echeverry, knows firsthand what it means to be homeless. Not only homeless, but under age, pregnant (multiple times) and homeless. So what worked? How did she make it out?
HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS.
2 WAY STREET.
One person at a time joined together with another person or family who is willing to walk the journey from homelessness to healed in a relationship that gives and takes from both parties. It may sound radical or impossible, but it is not.
This model of care is what will initiate a movement that will help heal this epidemic and empower communities to become one with all of its community members.
COVID changed many things for everyone. For SOFESA, we were able to gain many new insights and take a look at things more intimately. SOFESA wants to educate and empower the average community member to help heal homelessness, establish a "middle ground" where the housed and unhoused can be in healthy community with one another and ultimately create permanent housing and dignified work for homeless families and their children while improving and beautifying a local neighborhood.
SOFESA believes that in order to heal the BIG problem of homelessnesss, we need to think and act SMALL. Our founder and director, Jess Echeverry, knows firsthand what it means to be homeless. Not only homeless, but under age, pregnant (multiple times) and homeless. So what worked? How did she make it out?
HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS.
2 WAY STREET.
One person at a time joined together with another person or family who is willing to walk the journey from homelessness to healed in a relationship that gives and takes from both parties. It may sound radical or impossible, but it is not.
This model of care is what will initiate a movement that will help heal this epidemic and empower communities to become one with all of its community members.
COVID changed many things for everyone. For SOFESA, we were able to gain many new insights and take a look at things more intimately. SOFESA wants to educate and empower the average community member to help heal homelessness, establish a "middle ground" where the housed and unhoused can be in healthy community with one another and ultimately create permanent housing and dignified work for homeless families and their children while improving and beautifying a local neighborhood.
Join Us!
Starting in 2023, we will be rolling these efforts out with our first webinar and info session, so sign up and stay in touch!
©2019 SOFESA. All rights reserved.