Project Ropa Continues to Offer Hope to Homeless
Los Angeles, CA. Project Ropa is a nonprofit foundation based in Los Angeles serving the homeless community. The nonprofit works to restore dignity by bringing clean clothing and hygiene kits directly to people experiencing homelessness. According to the Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority, there are a total of 63,706 people homeless and 46,090 still in need of shelter. Over the past year, there has been a 12.7% increase in homelessness in LA County alone. Community members who are experiencing homelessness do not have easy access to bathrooms let alone showers.
Like many organizations, Project Ropa has seen a massive decline in monetary donations as a result of the global pandemic. While the monetary donations have declined by 75%, there has been a 300% increase in clothing donations.
Overhead has not declined but rather increased for the organization during this time. Project Ropa’s storage units are at full capacity, so the organization had to acquire a third unit for the influx of supplies.
Project Ropa has more than doubled weekly donations. Prior to the pandemic, the organization directly provided hygiene kits and clothing to 200 people directly on a weekly basis. Today after teaming up with local nonprofits they are serving over 5,000 people a month. Caitlin Adler Founder and Executive Director says, “We expect that number to continue to grow. We have figured out a way to increase capacity with less money.”
As a result of Covid-19, the demand and quantity for hygiene kits has substantially increased. With social distancing mandates in place getting essential personal protective equipment together has had its fair share of challenges. Due to hygiene regulations and sanitation recommendations, clothing is quarantined for 7-days prior to distribution. With major pivots implemented (i.e. quarantine of shoes and clothes, halted entry into mobile hygiene vans, and meeting sanitation standards etc.). Volunteers are no longer able to assist in the vans and volunteer opportunities have been cut in half.
With the elevated health risks associated with the virus, Project Ropas partnership with Saint Francis Center has been a saving grace for thousands of people.
During this time there are no holiday events planned.
Volunteers are encouraged to engage in Project Ropa’s virtual volunteer opportunities. Where individuals go out into the community to collect a list of items. Merchandise can be dropped off at the facility and or pick-up can be coordinated at a nearby location.
From Project Ropa:
It is in times like these that your donations are needed the most. Find out more at Project Ropa. Monetary donations can be made on Donor Box here and to our Venmo account @ProjectRopa.
Mission
Project Ropa helps restore dignity, rekindle optimism, and empower lives by providing clean clothing, hygiene kits and job opportunities to people experiencing homelessness.
Our Mailing Address
4712 Admiralty Way #1226
Marina del Rey, CA 90292
Our Warehouse Address
12681 W Jefferson Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90066
Donation Drop-off Information
We accept clothing donation drop-offs at our warehouse by appointment only.
Email us: [email protected]
About Us
Project Ropa was founded in 2016 by Caitlin Adler to address the challenges that homeless people face in obtaining and keeping clean clothes. Though homelessness is accompanied by many deprivations — from food, to shelter, to safety — one of its greatest indignities comes from the absence of hygiene services.
When you’re homeless, it doesn’t take long to look that way, and the world and your options in it shrink. Access to hygiene services is a human right yet for many people experiencing homelessness there are often significant barriers to proper hygiene. Most homeless people literally have only the clothes on their backs. Access to clean clothing is essential to the overall well-being of a person and can be the key to opening doors to employment and housing.
We believe everyone deserves to be treated with respect. How you look affects how you feel about yourself and how others treat you. Now, because of the health threats posed by the coronavirus, the need to overcome those challenges has become ever greater. People who are experiencing homelessness often wind up wearing dirty and wet clothes for long stretches of time, making them vulnerable to the spread of transmissible diseases, including Covid-19.
No one should have to wear dirty clothes or clothes that are ill-fitting. It is more important than ever that our homeless neighbors have access to new and gently used donated clothing in a safe, humane and dignified setting.
That’s where we come in.
Project Ropa provides a curated selection of new and gently used high-quality men’s and women’s clothing, shoes and accessories, along with personal hygiene products — all donated by local manufacturers, retailers and nonprofit partners — which we bring to locations throughout the city each week in a retrofitted van that acts as a mobile walk-in closet. At the same time, the people we serve can take a shower offered by another service provider with whom we work in tandem.
The need to provide clean clothes to our homeless neighbors has never been more urgent. Read this article to learn more about what makes our service different. For additional information about why it is so important to provide people experiencing homelessness with access to clean clothes in a safe, humane and respectful way read this article.
We believe in second chances for people who want to turn their lives around. Our vision is to help break the cycle of homelessness by restoring dignity and creating living-wage job opportunities for people with barriers to employment.
