“While the COVID-19 pandemic might seem like it’s in our rearview mirror, many of the communities in which LISC LA works are still facing a long road to recovery. The work that LISC LA is doing to address these challenges is critical to building a more equitable and just society.”
–Nicole Williams, Executive Director, LISC Los Angeles
Despite the ongoing challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2022, LISC LA continued to remove barriers to economic prosperity and help our local neighborhoods rebuild.
In 2021, the LISC LA team announced The Black Economic Development Agenda (BEDA), aimed at bridging the racial wealth gap and uplifting Black communities. BEDA projects have aided the local economies of historically Black Los Angeles areas.
Even in the virtual environment brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, we met a number of outstanding and inspiring individuals who have met the challenges of the last year head on and, through our programs, gained the knowledge and resources to not only survive, but thrive.
I couldn’t be more proud to lead a team of professionals who are doing so much to tackle homelessness and expand economic opportunity for diverse small businesses and everyday working people in neighborhoods where we are championing health-centered strategies by ensuring there is access to healthy food and recreational spaces. Read on!
LA LISC spent the year catalyzing opportunities in neighborhoods. Specifically, we championed initiatives in housing, homelessness, economic inclusion, transit oriented communities, health and recreation space development, small business capital access and procurement policies and connecting people to quality jobs.
In 2017, the homeless population rose 23% in LA County. Instead of debating how or why we got to this point, LISC LA focused energy on lifting up solutions to help as many families achieve access to safe, decent, and affordable housing while merging onto career paths with bridges to quality employment as quickly and sustainably as possible.