Los Angeles, CA. Project Ropa continues to address the growing number of homeless people. Its mission is to restore dignity to those experiencing homelessness and empower them through providing clean clothes, hygiene kits, and employment opportunities. The non-profit offers a mobile hygiene service, a closet on wheels, clean clothes to avoid the spread of disease, and help people get jobs. Project Ropa hires individuals transitioning out of homelessness to help break the cycle of homelessness. The organization also helps reduce textile waste through its clothing recycling program and environmentally conscious management.
People line up for Project Ropa’s mobile hygiene service at St. Francis Center.
A report by the Economic Roundtable estimates that the number of people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles will increase by 86% over the next two years.To combat this, Project Ropa hopes to create new site locations in low-income areas where most people are in danger of becoming homeless. However, as places reopen and more people return to work, Project Ropa has experienced a decline in volunteers and donations.
When COVID-19 first hit, Project Ropa was forced to shut down for six weeks. During this time administrators reassessed how to do business and best serve people with the new safety restrictions put in place. As public facilities shut down, many homeless individuals lost access to showers, meal stations, and clean drinking water. Hygiene, especially given the pandemic, is very important to avoid the spread of disease. To address these health issues, Project Ropa upgraded its hygiene kits to include sanitizer and masks, and they partnered with other nonprofits to offer showers and meal services.
Project Ropa continues its services under COVID restrictions, making sure everyone stays 6 feet apart.
As safety restrictions limit the amount of people Project Ropa can service at once, it has allowed them to offer an even more personalized experience to people. Before the pandemic, Project Ropa emphasized spending time with each person and getting to know them, but the restrictions have allowed staff and volunteers to really interact and bond with those they are helping.
Volunteers distribute clothes and shoes on Veterans Row.
Project Ropa was founded in 2016 to address the challenges that homeless people face in obtaining and keeping clean clothes.
Project Ropa is made possible through volunteers and generous donations. Visit their website to find out how to help Project Ropa in their mission to help the homeless get back on their feet!
From Project Ropa:
Project Ropa is the only nonprofit organization of its kind in Los Angeles: our mission is to restore dignity and empower the lives of people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles by providing clean clothes, hygiene essentials, and employment opportunities while reducing textile waste and minimizing our carbon footprint. Our retrofitted van, functioning as a mobile walk-in closet, carries hope as well as a full selection of clothes, shoes, accessories and hygiene products. To further our mission and help break the cycle of homelessness, we provide transitional job opportunities to people with barriers to employment, including homeless and previously incarcerated individuals.
