Top L.A. faith-based organisations actively working in public sphere

By Kat Styles about 1 year Local
Faith-based organizations in Los Angeles serve Angelenos who suffer from poverty, homelessness, and even people who need medical attention. Image: Katt Yukawa|Unsplash

In a world where many issues exist, it is wonderful to know that many organizations are willing to ease these crises and support those affected. Many organizations do these in different forms. May it be through art, skills, and even faith.

Faith-based organizations are the most common and well-known in actively working in the public sphere. They are the ones who serve the homeless, victims of abuse, poverty, disasters, and violence, and those that need help with their mental health.

With Los Angeles being one of the most centralized and modernized cities in the U.S., these organizations help ease these crises in the city's busy streets. 

The Center for Religion and Civic Culture conducted and produced a study that examined the development, role, and influence of faith-based groups in the wake of the 1992 Los Angeles civil unrest.

Here are some of the well-recommended faith-based organizations within Los Angeles that are still working actively in the public sphere:

1010 Development Corporation

Image: 1010 Development Corporation Facebook page

  • 1001 South Hope St., Los Angeles, CA 90015
  • Contact details: Phone - (213) 749-0214 and (213) 749-3098
  • Social media: Facebook and LinkedIn

To assist those with low incomes and senior citizens, 1010 Development Corp. has been working to build high-quality but inexpensive home complexes. The corporation was founded in 1992 and has since offered various services to assist the locals in fostering opportunities for personal development.

American Friends Service Committee

Image: AFSC Los Angeles website

Established in 1917, AFSC was initially set to develop alternatives to military service during World War I. Since then, it has always been the voice to bring equality, peace, and justice to everyone, regardless of race, color, or religion. The organization believes everyone has a part to play in improving the world.

The Art of Living

Image: The Art of Living website

The Art of Living is a nonprofit organization built in 1981. Through the breathwork and meditation courses they offer, the group aims to help an individual cope with their stress and anxiety.

Asian American Advancing Justice Southern California

Image: AJSoCal.org website

Emeritus Stewart Kwoh founded the organization in 1983. Since then, it has served the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) community as the country's largest legal and civil rights organization through legal counseling and education.

Big Sunday

Image: Big Sunday website

The organization aims to encourage all sorts of individuals in the neighborhood to volunteer to build a community. The volunteers will be working with different individuals in their belief that a person will always have a way to help others in their way.

Bresee Foundation

Image: Breese Foundation website

The members of the Los Angeles First Church of the Nazarene established the foundation in 1982 to assist low-income families. They think that empowering young people and families to use their skills, resources, and connections will help them break the cycle of poverty and enable them to prosper.

Catholic Charities of Los Angeles

Image: Catholic charities of LA website

Catholic Charities of Los Angeles has assisted the disadvantaged since it was founded in 1919. The organization works with various communities to help the underprivileged, advance human dignity, and promote social justice.

PATH Ventures - Los Angeles

Image: PATH Los Angeles website

PATH Ventures Los Angeles helps combat homelessness. The organization conducts open gatherings that attract members of Southern California's religious community to raise awareness and demand action on homelessness.

Salvation Army - Bell Shelter

Image: Salvation Army - Bell Shelter website

Since it began, Bell Shelter has run a program that provides up to 500 single men and women facing homelessness with housing and assistance. The group's objectives are to meet urgent needs and deal with the underlying problems that lead to each person's homelessness.

Hollywood Food Coalition

Image: Hollywood Food Coalition website

The Hollywood Food Coalition was established in response to a call in 1987. It started by providing sandwiches on a street corner and developed into a nightly Community Dinner for anyone in need. They currently work with the Salvation Army to meet the growing demand for meal services. Their transition into an indoor dining area was made possible by teamwork.

Jovenes

Image: Jovenes website

Jovenes is a group that alleviates the pain of homeless youth by giving them a home and family. Along with providing the youth a place to live, they also help them with their health, education, jobs, and trauma healing. The organization wants to help homeless youth get involved in their communities.

L.A. Family Housing

Image: LA Family Housing website

In 1983, a group of interfaith leaders saw an increase in homeless families in the neighborhood and decided to form the organization. After that, they raised money to buy a 40-unit building. For over 35 years, the organization has gained recognition as one of L.A.'s major housing providers and suppliers of homeless services.

The People Concern

Image: The People Concern website

One of L.A.'s largest social service organizations, The People Concern, was founded in 2016 following the merger of the OPCC and Lamp Community, two reputable social service organizations. The organization offers various services, such as outreach, housing, mental and physical health care, and much more.

St. Francis Center

Image: St. Francis Center website

The St. Francis Center in Los Angeles has been feeding the hungry and helping those touched by poverty for 50 years. The center's mission to give relief has remained the same ever since. Still, it has grown in its programming and is now a proper multi-service community organization.

Union Rescue Mission

Image: Union Rescue Mission website

URM, founded in 1891, is one of the largest nonprofit organizations in the U.S. that offers assistance to people who need it for their anguish and hopelessness. They support those experiencing homelessness, including men, women, and children because they follow Christ and share his love.

As modernized and centralized as Los Angeles is, the current issues our world experiences are also spread widely in the city. Just take the homelessness issue as an example.

According to Los Angeles Magazine, tens of thousands of homeless people live in Los Angeles, and the situation got worse during the COVID-19 outbreak.

These are issues that must be addressed accordingly, and it is great to know that many organizations are still actively working in the public sphere.

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@ Kat Styles

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