Available Resources in Los Angeles for Down on Luck Friend.
June 4, 2023 8:37 PM Subscribe
I have a single 35 yo male friend in Los Angeles who has gone through some major business set backs, is struggling with anxiety, and depression and will soon have to move from his current living space in Los Angeles.
He is in therapy. He has transportation and is thinking of returning to school. I would like to suggest public and private options available to him for housing, unemployment, social support systems, etc.
He is on the basics available to him. (Medi-Cal, CalFresh, unemployment insurance) Housing options for him are a little more problematic
What safety net options are out there for him?
He is on the basics available to him. (Medi-Cal, CalFresh, unemployment insurance) Housing options for him are a little more problematic
What safety net options are out there for him?
Ugh. The basics you mention are also, basically, the safety net in its entirety. California is slightly more generous with benefits but has otherwise created a rich/poor gap that rivals or exceeds the the reddest red state--we have absolutely nothing to be proud of in the arena of your friend's needs.
Can you say more about his housing situation and specific location though? Like is he a subtenant, leaseholder, when was his building built, what part of LA, etc? These details all matter to the things we can suggest.
posted by kensington314 at 11:17 PM on June 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
Can you say more about his housing situation and specific location though? Like is he a subtenant, leaseholder, when was his building built, what part of LA, etc? These details all matter to the things we can suggest.
posted by kensington314 at 11:17 PM on June 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
They might consider applying to Modest Needs for financial support with relocation expenses or another single need.
Check findtreatment.gov for more Federal and State resources for mental health.
Look for educational financial aid information at the Cal Grant or California Student Aid Commission websites.
The Los Angeles city Economic & Workforce Development Department has resources for adult employment seekers. You can find other California county workforce development programs here.
Finally, try the LA City Housing Department for some support with finding affordable housing.
posted by JDC8 at 12:01 AM on June 5, 2023
Check findtreatment.gov for more Federal and State resources for mental health.
Look for educational financial aid information at the Cal Grant or California Student Aid Commission websites.
The Los Angeles city Economic & Workforce Development Department has resources for adult employment seekers. You can find other California county workforce development programs here.
Finally, try the LA City Housing Department for some support with finding affordable housing.
posted by JDC8 at 12:01 AM on June 5, 2023
Best answer: 211 has all the official resources. There are (welllllll over the official count of) 70,000 people also not getting any help from those resources. LA is going to have to proceed through a horriffic and inevitable homelessness crisis and crash before anything gets better.
There are mutual aid networks in LA that tend to operate lightly below obvious radar, and the best way to get help is to get involved and also contribute help. Food Not Bombs is long-established, that's one venue. It may take some googling and asking around to find hyper-local neighborhood groups. I also recommend getting into his current neighborhood's Buy Nothing and Buy Sell Trade groups, as exchanging labor and favors as well as asking for leads and suggestions can foster community support (as well as really useful actionable recommendations). The LA and neighborhood subreddits are a mixed bag, and you are often best asking for recommendations to volunteer helping with X even if you actually need X, and save any specific asks for the unavoidable (looking for a room to rent, for example).
If he's looking at going back to school, I highly recommend actually going and speaking to whichever schools offer what he wants. Even the community colleges do have paths to all kinds of assistance. It will take some legwork to figure out how to speak to recruiters for each one, and he may have to go to some events to connect to the right people, but that might also offer a bit more one-stop shopping.
I've seen a lot of people on the bubble of serious crisis choose optics over options, refusing to leave the more expensive neighborhoods they know (or that have higher-perceived value) for cheaper places to live. Sometimes there's a legitimate reason, like trying to stay in the City of LA proper rather than deal with systems in Riverside Co or Pasadena or similar, but I'd say if he has anywhere at all to go where someone might be able to make his life a little easier for a bit - even if it's somewhere boring, uncool, perceived as less safe (this is sometimes somewhat true but there's a LOT of nuance; most of the LAA to which he has access is roughly equally unsafe), and maybe even not brimming over with jobs in the immediate vicinity - that's an asset he can take advantage of quickly and spare some resources for some other aspect of survival.
If this person has had "business setbacks" in the sense of business experience - accounting principles and software, purchasing/receiving, general back office, supervising other employees - job fairs are pretty miserable experiences and he should still go to them. Because those employers are likely legitimately hiring, and while they might be there trying to hire warehouse, assembly-line, and other lower-paying jobs it can be an incredible way to cut through a TON of application invisibility just to have a chat with a guy who actually knows the manager of the accounting/hr/payroll departments (and may well get a bonus for good referrals).
posted by Lyn Never at 8:02 AM on June 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
There are mutual aid networks in LA that tend to operate lightly below obvious radar, and the best way to get help is to get involved and also contribute help. Food Not Bombs is long-established, that's one venue. It may take some googling and asking around to find hyper-local neighborhood groups. I also recommend getting into his current neighborhood's Buy Nothing and Buy Sell Trade groups, as exchanging labor and favors as well as asking for leads and suggestions can foster community support (as well as really useful actionable recommendations). The LA and neighborhood subreddits are a mixed bag, and you are often best asking for recommendations to volunteer helping with X even if you actually need X, and save any specific asks for the unavoidable (looking for a room to rent, for example).
If he's looking at going back to school, I highly recommend actually going and speaking to whichever schools offer what he wants. Even the community colleges do have paths to all kinds of assistance. It will take some legwork to figure out how to speak to recruiters for each one, and he may have to go to some events to connect to the right people, but that might also offer a bit more one-stop shopping.
I've seen a lot of people on the bubble of serious crisis choose optics over options, refusing to leave the more expensive neighborhoods they know (or that have higher-perceived value) for cheaper places to live. Sometimes there's a legitimate reason, like trying to stay in the City of LA proper rather than deal with systems in Riverside Co or Pasadena or similar, but I'd say if he has anywhere at all to go where someone might be able to make his life a little easier for a bit - even if it's somewhere boring, uncool, perceived as less safe (this is sometimes somewhat true but there's a LOT of nuance; most of the LAA to which he has access is roughly equally unsafe), and maybe even not brimming over with jobs in the immediate vicinity - that's an asset he can take advantage of quickly and spare some resources for some other aspect of survival.
If this person has had "business setbacks" in the sense of business experience - accounting principles and software, purchasing/receiving, general back office, supervising other employees - job fairs are pretty miserable experiences and he should still go to them. Because those employers are likely legitimately hiring, and while they might be there trying to hire warehouse, assembly-line, and other lower-paying jobs it can be an incredible way to cut through a TON of application invisibility just to have a chat with a guy who actually knows the manager of the accounting/hr/payroll departments (and may well get a bonus for good referrals).
posted by Lyn Never at 8:02 AM on June 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
I'm here to plug for FINDHELP.ORG. Put in a ZIP code and see all the available resources. Best of luck to your friend!
posted by acridrabbit at 7:03 PM on June 5, 2023
posted by acridrabbit at 7:03 PM on June 5, 2023
I'm going to throw in a plug for the local library system as a hub for more resources:
Los Angeles Public Library
LA County Library
There's also the Santa Monica Public Library if that is nearby your friend.
I've found physically going in to a local library branch or two to be helpful as they will have a central notice board with pamphlets for additional resources and support for the community related to housing, mental health, education, job hunting, and so on. Physically going inside also means there may be staff if he has questions who may be able to help point him to resources as well.
Otherwise the library will host related events and workshops, in person as well as virtual, and so much more that can be found on their respective websites. For example, you can access e-learning resources which may help with school or job prospects. A YouTube page will feature previous events.
Otherwise local community centers and/or senior centers may also be worth visiting. These are the types of places that cater to the larger community and may have more local information on what kind of help is available and how to access it.
Good luck to your friend.
posted by Goblin Barbarian at 12:50 PM on June 6, 2023
Los Angeles Public Library
LA County Library
There's also the Santa Monica Public Library if that is nearby your friend.
I've found physically going in to a local library branch or two to be helpful as they will have a central notice board with pamphlets for additional resources and support for the community related to housing, mental health, education, job hunting, and so on. Physically going inside also means there may be staff if he has questions who may be able to help point him to resources as well.
Otherwise the library will host related events and workshops, in person as well as virtual, and so much more that can be found on their respective websites. For example, you can access e-learning resources which may help with school or job prospects. A YouTube page will feature previous events.
Otherwise local community centers and/or senior centers may also be worth visiting. These are the types of places that cater to the larger community and may have more local information on what kind of help is available and how to access it.
Good luck to your friend.
posted by Goblin Barbarian at 12:50 PM on June 6, 2023
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If he’s a renter, the LA Tenants Union might be a good place to start in terms of support, especially if his income is so low that he qualifies for Medi-Cal and CalFresh.
Checking the website of his city council members could also be a way toward finding relevant local assistance by contacting their office.
And in terms of reducing transportation costs, there is a state-sponsored program for legal-minimum car insurance for poorer Californians here.
posted by mdonley at 9:28 PM on June 4, 2023