The Intersectionality of Social Change & Charity Work
The role of community service catering to Los Angeles’ homeless population continues to be a critical social issue. The lack of affordable housing, prevalent drug addiction, and/or systemic issues are factors that lead to the growth of homelessness in the Skid Row community of Los Angeles. Throughout my experiences volunteering at Water Drop LA, I have learned about what beneficial services look like, that support the Skid Row community. Many believe that the best form of community service is charity work through providing long-term improvements. However, while volunteering with Water Drop LA, it became evident that solely focusing on charity work creates a cycle of dependency and no systematic change. Instead, understanding structural injustices and incorporating charity work empowers individuals to deliver service rooted in advocacy and legislative change within the community.
To provide context, city policies and historical treatment of the homeless population led to the creation of Skid Row in Los Angeles. Skid Row’s history reveals a discriminatory past, where the high concentration of poverty played the role of social exclusion. The act of disassociating the Skid Row community from the “beauty” of Los Angeles only caused homelessness to increase. In a BBC article titled, “Los Angeles: Why Tens of Thousands of People Sleep Rough”, Daniel Flaming and Gary Blasi analyze the origin of the Skid Row community. Flaming and Blasi denote how in 1976, “city officials established Skid Row as an unofficial ‘containment zone’, where homeless people, shelters and services would be tolerated” (Flaming and Blasi). Since the creation of this zone, unemployment and the drug epidemic of the 1980s, Los Angeles saw the accumulation of unhoused people in Skid Row. With the higher percentages of unhoused people, many debated the role that community service should play in resolving homelessness in Los Angeles.
As a result many believe that the direct service charity work provides is the best form of community service. In an article titled “The Irony of Service: Charity, Project, and Social Change in Service-Learning’’ by Keith Morton, the method of charity work is defined as “where control of the service (resources and decisions affecting their distribution) remains with the provider” (Morton). For example, the issue of homelessness in Los Angeles is directly confronted when considering the needs of the unhoused people in Skid Row. While volunteering with Water Drop LA, I could see the value of providing direct service by providing water to the residents of Skid Row. The issue of a lack of accessibility to water is addressed by providing direct service towards Skid Row residents with water resources. The incorporation of charity work through direct service reveals the benefits of charity work.
Prior to volunteering with Water Drop LA, I did not consider the structural injustices that shape homelessness in Los Angeles. In high school, I was part of the Los Angeles Mission Club, an organization dedicated to providing supplies (hygiene kits, clothing, etc.) to unhoused people in Skid Row. Through my time volunteering with the LA Mission Club, I believed service only involved providing basic necessities. I never considered the bigger picture of what factors were causing homelessness in Los Angeles. When I began to volunteer with Water Drop LA, I became educated on the legislative advocacy used to help unhoused people. Looking beyond basic necessities and implementing long-term solutions to structural injustices transformed my disposition of service. I learned that service involves critical learning of structural challenges to implement legislative change.
To truly provide effective and useful service, charity work emphasizing “long-term improvement” should be incorporated. There are multiple factors that impact the access of affordable housing. In an article titled, “Lack of Housing and Mental Health Disabilities Exacerbate One Another”, author Heidi Schultheis describes the factors causing the lack of affordable housing as “climbing rents, stagnant wages, and shrinking public housing stock and project-based subsidies” (Schultheis). To combat these issues through charity work, the service must emphasize a direct service of long-term improvement towards wages and rents. By looking into improving the accessibility of affordable housing, charity work revolving around this theme would reflect the best service in helping unhoused people in Los Angeles. Rather than solely focusing on providing basic necessities which is still helpful, identifying the root of social problem aides in improving the lives of many in the long run.
By prioritizing direct service, charity work can unintentionally create a hierarchical system that hinders individuals from achieving empowerment and escaping the cycle of homelessness. Although direct service alleviates any immediate lack of resources, focusing on this approach can create a hierarchical system within charity work. Rina Palta explains in her article, “Why Do Thousands of L.A.’s Homeless Shelter Beds Sit Empty Each Night?”, the lack of accountability in shelter qualities. Palta emphasizes that “there are about 16,600 shelter beds in L.A. County. They’re almost always run by private nonprofit and faith organizations.” (Palta). It is evident that the failure of shelters can be attributed to the carelessness of organizations. The hierarchical system of non-profit organizations in charity work creates a system of dependency and no systematic change. The people of Skid Row rely on the charity’s resources rather than empowering the community. The hierarchical system of charity work does not consider the long-term structural issues, rather it creates profit for organizations.
It is important to educate ourselves on issues before getting involved in community engagement with intentions to provide positive transformation. Prior to volunteering for Water Drop LA, I did extensive research on the issues leading to homelessness within Skid Row — the lack of affordable housing, unemployment, etc. When I had the opportunity to volunteer, I met people such as Maribel, who had no other choice but to live in Skid Row. Maribel described to me the difficult experiences she faced as she immigrated from Guatemala and could not find employment. Maribel’s story stuck with me because I understood the social issues impacting her living. Rather than continue the negative cultural narratives of unhoused people, I educated myself on the issues within Skid Row to truly connect with the residents. In doing this, I enjoyed engaging with the Skid Row community and conversing with other Spanish-speaking residents.
While providing direct service, my work with Water Drop LA emphasized the need to combine charity and promote long-term solutions through understanding systemic injustices. Water Drop LA completely transformed my disposition of what exceptional service looks like. As I first researched Water Drop LA, I saw how they promoted advocacy along with their direct service. They provided education on the issues affecting unhoused people in Los Angeles. For instance, currently they are advocating for the “Petition to Install Permanent Drinking Fountains in Los Angeles”. This petition serves as a long-term solution to the lack of water faced by unhoused people, which addresses the system injustice of lack of water. Water Drop LA is able to identify problems within Skid Row and establish solutions to combat the systemic inequalities faced by people living there.
Combining charity work with an awareness of structural injustices allows volunteers and community members to empower individuals experiencing homelessness and work towards legislative change. Traditional charity resolves immediate needs and understanding the roots of homelessness empowers everyone who is involved in helping the community. With the knowledge they learn from the community, volunteers are not just distributing resources, they are advocating for the community to promote social change through law. As mentioned earlier, the advocacy efforts of Water Drop LA exemplifies the combination of charity work and understanding that empowers all individuals involved to fight for legal change. Legal policies in Water Drop LA can be seen through the petitions they support to address systemic issues affecting the city.