Our Top 8 Highlights from 2021

February 2021: Homeless Individuals Receive Free COVID-19 Testing & Vaccinations

As the pandemic continued, so did health disparities within the unhoused community. While Los Angeles County offered hundreds of testing sites, many unhoused clients at the Santa Monica Corps had trouble accessing these resources. That’s why The Salvation Army Corps partnered with Los Angeles County Department of Health Services to host their own walk-up COVID-19 testing site to eliminate these barriers. Here they offered unhoused individuals free tests as well as wrap around services if the test came back positive, food from their pantry, hygiene supplies, and clothing.

March 2021: Salvation Army Opens First Container Home Shelter: Lafayette Bridge Housing

In March, The Lafayette Bridge Housing complex opened its doors in the Westlake district of Los Angeles. This unique complex will provide housing for 72 people who were living in the immediate area without shelter. The journey that begins here will be supported by professional social workers, safe and secure pet-friendly housing, and by the pathway of hope from the love and care The Salvation Army provides.

March 2021: Thousands of Community Members Receive COVID-19 Vaccinations at Salvation Army Centers

As COVID-19 vaccines began to roll out, The Salvation Army was there to offer community members local vaccination clinics. Our Corps Officers and Center Directors knew that many underserved communities we struggling to access vaccinations despite high-risk factors, so they worked with healthcare providers and city health services. In South LA, over 120 residents received their vaccinations through The Salvation Army Siemon Center.

August 2021: Summer Camp Returns to the Corps after a Year of Quarantining

After a year hiatus from our annual summer camp, our local Corps offered week-long day camps to their kids. The Camp-to-the-Corps program was our way to provide fun and engaging activities to our community while taking proper COVID-19 precautions. While campers didn’t get to experience the traditional overnight stay, campers enjoyed sports, arts and crafts, music and dance, and group activity for the day—from tie-dye on Thursday to water games on Friday.

August 2021: Comprehensive Navigation Center & Shelter Opens for Whittier's Homeless

Whittier residents now have access to shelter and comprehensive services such as health and wellness resources, substance-use services, employment assistance and counseling at the Whittier Navigation Center. This 139-bed facility came at an especially crucial time as the Delta variant began to infect thousands in Los Angeles County.

October 2021: Door of Hope Rady Residence Is Officially Open to Unhoused Families

This fall, our San Diego team officially opened Rady Residence at The Door of Hope Campus. The Salvation Army Rady Residence offers 32 housing units for families, single mothers and children, single women and women in recovery. In addition, clients will have access to our holistic wrap around services that include case management and job training.

Mobile Homeless Outreach Teams Launch Across the SoCal

As homelessness continues to increase across the southland, our teams in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and San Luis Obispo have taken on a new street-level initiative to reach even more unhoused individuals. These mobile units have been making weekly trips to areas where homelessness is at its highest. Our Outreach Workers offer a housing-first, person-centered approach to help people experiencing homelessness connect with appropriate resources to get them back on their feet. In Los Angeles, the Skid Row Outreach team works with our neighbors in Skid Row every Tuesday and Thursday to offer them referrals, hygiene supplies and a variety of housing and medical resources.

Distance Learning Program Offers Online Schooling Resources for Working Families

Distance Learning Program Offers Online Schooling Resources for Working Families

As schools implemented virtual learning for their students, many families worried their children would not be able to productively work from home whether because of lack of space, internet access, or lack of a family member who can assist the student. After hearing these concerns from community members, our Long Beach Corps launched the Distance Learning Assistance program for children in need of virtual schooling assistance. Students now have a safe space with tutors and all the resources they need to excel in school and hardworking parents no longer have the added stress of preparing a space for at-home schooling.