An Oasis on Skid Row… Courtesy of The Home Depot and Volunteers of America
Landmark center to become a restorative environment away from the frenzy of the streets.
The 20,000 sq. ft., 150-bed center provides programs and services to as many as 4,000 homeless men and women annually. The improvements from a $30,000 grant from The Home Depot Foundation will add to the functionality of the space and allow Volunteers of America to serve more people more effectively. Members of Team Depot® will be constructing an outdoor meeting space, creating an area for quiet contemplation, building a recycling center, and planting trees and vines. The grant also includes the donation of draught-tolerant plants, artificial turf and tiles, a storage shed, fountains, a bicycle rack and outdoor furniture. The makeover will help men and women struggling with homelessness make the transition to self-sufficiency.
The partnership with The Home Depot Foundation is an example of how Volunteers of America teams up with philanthropic members of the community in an effort to continue providing programs that touch the body, heart and spirit of those they serve. Services at the facility include employment, corrections and addiction programs, emergency and transitional shelter, and programs geared specifically for homeless veterans including The Barracks, a residential program for chronically homeless veterans, and HVRP, that helps more than 150 veterans find employment each year.
About Volunteers of America Los Angeles
Volunteers of America is a national non-profit human services organization committed to serving people in need, strengthening families, and building communities. Established in 1896, Volunteers of America Los Angeles began with a Mission Hall, a home for orphaned children, and a prison reform crusade. We now serve more than 30,000 people annually in more than 40 programs that deal with our most serious social ills including homelessness, substance abuse, poverty, unemployment, and issues facing military veterans and their families.
Every VOALA program is designed to encourage positive development, promote self-sufficiency, and foster independence. We are recognized for our ability to implement innovative programs with continual improvements resulting from ongoing evaluations. We retain the essence of our founders’ spiritual and social legacy with a broad scope of support and services for all - regardless of race, gender, age, or religious preference. Learn more at www.voala.org
About The Home Depot Foundation
The Home Depot Foundation donates funds and volunteer hours to non-profit organizations to help make homes more affordable and comfortable through necessary repairs and modifications. In 2011, the Foundation announced a special focus on serving veterans. The Home Depot Foundation is supporting Volunteers of America with $1.8 million to help renovate, repair and modify the homes they provide to veterans and their families. Since its formation in 2002, The Home Depot Foundation has granted more than $270 million to nonprofit organizations improving homes and lives in local communities. To learn more and see Team Depot® associates in action, visit www.homedepotfoundation.org.
CONTACT: Cindi Dietrich, Volunteers of America (213) 251-7664 cdietrich@voala.org
SOURCE: Volunteers of America Los Angeles
