Our Community La

OUR COMMUNITY LA (OCLA) IS A VOLUNTEER-LED, 501(C)3 ORGANIZATION THAT LEVERAGES TECHNOLOGY FOR SOCIAL GOOD FOR THE BENEFIT OF HOMELESS AND NEARLY HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES. USING MOBILE COMMUNICATION AND WEB-BASED RESOURCES, OCLA EMPOWERS HOMELESS AND AT-RISK YOUTH, STUDENTS, FAMILIES, SENIORS AND SINGLE ADULTS TO FACILITATE POSITIVE CHANGE IN THEIR LIVES. OCLA'S PROGRAMS ARE PURPOSEFULLY DESIGNED TO EMPOWER HOMELESS AND HOUSING-INSECURE PERSONS OF ALL AGES AND SUPPORT THEIR ABILITY TO EASILY LOCATE AND CONNECT TO NEEDED LOCAL SERVICE PROVIDERS. OUR PROGRAMS INCLUDE: 1) THE FREE WIN WHAT I NEED (WIN) MOBILE APP WHICH EMPOWERS VULNERABLE AND RESOURCE INSECURE INDIVIDUALS TO SEARCH FOR AND CONNECT WITH NEARBY FREE OR SLIDING SCALE SUPPORTIVE SERVICES NEEDED TO BUILD A LIFE OUT OF POVERTY. WIN, DESIGNED WITH THE SUPPORT OF LA'S HOMELESS, IS TRULY "HELP IN THE PALM OF ONE'S HAND."

WIN WHAT I NEED IS A FREE MOBILE APPLICATION DESIGNED TO EMPOWER REGIONAL HOMELESS OR RESOURCE-INSECURE YOUTH, (AGES 12-25), FAMILIES, STUDENTS, SENIORS AND OTHER ADULTS TO CONNECT TO 12 CATEGORIES OF SUPPORTIVE SERVICES. THE PROTOTYPE WAS FIRST RELEASED IN THE GOOGLEPLAY AND ITUNES STORES IN NOVEMBER 2015, AND WAS ALSO AVAILABLE FOR USE ON OCLA'S WEBSITE AT OCLAWIN.ORG. WHILE THE ORIGINAL APP WAS DEVELOPED TO SERVE YOUTH ONLY (AGES 12-24), IN RESPONSE TO CALLS FOR EXPANSION, IN 2018 OCLA WORKED WITH A TEAM OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPERS TO REDESIGN AND EXPAND WIN'S CAPACITY TO SERVE ADULTS AND FAMILIES. IN 2020 WIN'S DATABASE WAS EXPANDED TO INCLUDE UNIQUE PROGRAMS AND SERVICES AVAILABLE TO VULNERABLE SENIORS AS WELL. WIN NOW EMPOWERS USERS OF ANY AGE TO CONNECT TO OVER 2300 PROGRAMS THAT THEY CAN WALK INTO WITHOUT A REFERRAL. WIN ALSO REGULARLY SENDS USERS HELPFUL ANNOUNCEMENTS ABOUT FREE COMMUNITY EVENTS, RESOURCE FAIRS AND JOB OPPORTUNITIES. WIN (MOBILE AND WEB) WAS TRANSLATED INTO SPANISH AND RELEASED IN THE APP STORES AND ON OCLA'S WEBSITE IN OCTOBER OF 2021. TODAY WIN SUPPORTS THE EFFORTS OF ANYONE IN NEED TO LOCATE ESSENTIAL RESOURCES, USING TECHNOLOGY THAT PEOPLE TODAY TRUST, CELL PHONES AND THE INTERNET. (THE VAST MAJORITY OF HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS UNDER 40 HAS SMART PHONES AND CAN ACCESS THE INTERNET USING WI-FI. FREE WI-FI IS WIDELY AVAILABLE AT LIBRARIES AND COFFEE SHOPS IN LA COUNTY.)EVERY VERSION OF WIN HAS BEEN BUILT WITH THE GUIDANCE AND INPUT OF REGIONAL HOMELESS YOUTH AND ADULTS. OCLA DEVELOPED AND OPERATES THIS SEARCHABLE APPLICATION IN LA COUNTY, AND MAINTAINS THE SUPPORTING DATABASE, OFFERING INFORMATION AND LIVE CONNECTIONS TO OVER 2300 AREA PROGRAMS PROVIDING FOOD, SHELTER, HEALTH/MENTAL HEALTH, LEGAL, DROP-IN/ACCESS CENTERS, JOBS, TRANSPORTATION, EDUCATION, GOVERNMENT BENEFITS, HOTLINES, CRISIS SUPPORTS AND MORE. WIN'S PROGRAM DATABASE IS REGULARLY UPDATED BY STAFF SUPPORTED BY VOLUNTEERS FROM LA WORKS REPAIR THE WORLD.WIN HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF THE TOP 3 RESOURCES FOR LA'S HOMELESS YOUTH AND IS FEATURED ON THE LA HOMELESS SERVICES AUTHORITY'S WEBSITE AND LA COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION'S WEBSITE. COUNTYWIDE PARTNERS WHO PROMOTE WIN TO THEIR CLIENTS INCLUDE THE PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM, THE REGIONAL HOUSING SERVICES AUTHORITY, NUMEROUS NONPROFITS, LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS, AND UNIVERSITIES. WIN AND OCLA ARE RECOGNIZED IN THE NATIONAL CENTER ON HOMELESSNESS AND POVERTY DIRECTORY. HONORS INCLUDE ROTARY STAR AWARD, "KNOWLEDGE SHARING", OPERATION CHILDREN HUMANITARIAN OF YEAR AWARDS (TO FOUNDER FOR DEVELOPMENT OF WIN), AND RECEIPT OF THE CALIFORNIA SENATE CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION AS WELL AS A COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES COMMENDATION.MANY PROVIDERS REQUIRE THEIR STAFF AND/OR CLIENTS TO DOWNLOAD WIN BECAUSE IT IS THE BEST RESOURCE ACCESS TOOL IN THE COUNTY. WIN IS SCALABLE AND DESIGNED WITH THE CAPACITY TO ADD AND SERVE OTHER REGIONS. WIN'S MOST IMPORTANT ACCOMPLISHMENT HOWEVER IS THAT STREET YOUTH AND ADULTS HAVE TOLD US THAT WIN EMPOWERS THEM TO FIND HELP, OFFERS HOPE AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, ITS VERY EXISTENCE MAKES THEM FEEL VALUED AND WORTHY OF SUPPORT. UNLIKE OTHER SERVICES, WIN NEVER REQUIRES USERS TO SIGN-IN; IT IS CONFIDENTIAL AND TRULY A LOW-BARRIER TOOL DESIGNED TO SUPPORT THOSE IN NEED.

B) TEAM WIN: TEAM WIN IS A PAID PART-TIME SOCIAL MEDIA TRAINING AND MENTORING PROGRAM FOR A SMALL COHORT OF HOMELESS OR NEARLY HOMELESS YOUTH. YOUTH ARE TRAINED IN SOCIAL MEDIA SKILLS, (SUCH AS HOW TO MAKE VIDEOS, USE TWITTER, FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM), IN SUPPORT OF PROMOTING AWARENESS ABOUT THE WIN APP IN THE COMMUNITY. PRE-COVID YOUTH ENGAGED IN IN-PERSON OUTREACH AT LOCAL HOMELESS COALITION MEETINGS TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT WIN. DURING 2020, TEAM WIN SHOT AND PRODUCED 2 HOW TO USE WIN VIDEOS, (IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH). IN 2021 TEAM WIN SHOT AND BEGAN RELEASING SEVERAL "HOW-TO SURVIVE" WITH WIN VIDEO SERIES INCLUDING HOW TO OBTAIN HYGIENE PRODUCTS, COOKING WITH FOOD FROM A FOOD PANTRY, AND MORE. IN 2023 THEY ADDED VOICES OF TEAM WIN, A BLOG SHOWCASING THEIR EXPERIENCES AND THOSE OF OTHERS WHO ARE ATTENDING COLLEGE WHILE STRUGGLING WITH HOMELESSNESS. THEY ALSO RESUMED IN-PERSON OUTREACH BY ATTENDING COMMUNITY EVENTS SUCH AS WORKING WITH FOOD PANTRY FOOD DISTRIBUTION SITES TO INCLUDE INFORMATION ABOUT WIN IN ALL FOOD BASKETS WHILE CONTINUING TO SURVIVE VIDEOS.

C) SOUTH LA OUTREACH PROGRAM: OCLA'S SOUTH LA PROGRAM IS A DOOR-TO-DOOR DIRECT OUTREACH CAMPAIGN WHICH SEEKS TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT WIN IN THE SOUTH LA COMMUNITY. OUR OUTREACH WORKER, A SOUTH LA NATIVE, IS CHARGED WITH VISITING LOCAL BUSINESSES AND LOCAL RESIDENCES, ATTENDING EVENTS AND SEEKING OTHER LOCAL OPPORTUNITIES TO INTRODUCE WIN TO THE COMMUNITY. HE EDUCATES COMMUNITY MEMBERS ABOUT THE WIN APP AND ENCOURAGES LOCAL COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO DOWNLOAD THE APP TO USE FOR THEMSELVES IN A TIME OF NEED AS WELL AS TO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO OTHERS.