Thanks to the LAN4N community for coming together last Saturday for another great Resource Center! We welcomed 60 guests and over 50 volunteers this month. We enjoyed meeting new folks and reconnecting with so many old friends. We’re taking next month off, but look forward to seeing you in July.

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Advocacy Update: Inside Starving

Every month, the LAN4N transportation team puts together a detailed map showing where guests are staying, with colorful routes criss-crossing the Westside.

On the Resource Center day, drivers fan out along these routes, giving rides to folks we’ve come to know over the years. And every month, more of our neighbors fall off the map because they’ve been placed in motels far from home.

This form of displacement has accelerated since Mayor Bass kicked off the “Inside Safe” initiative. The program was pitched as a way to “bring people inside from tents and encampments for good, and to prevent encampments from returning.” But since its inception, the initiative has been met with criticism for displacing people far from their communities into hotels with poor conditions.

Many participants are currently living in limbo, without basic necessities like adequate food, potable water, pest control or even plumbing. On May 8th, Inside Safe participants gathered for a press conference to voice their concerns to the Mayor. You can read more about the #InsideStarving press conference, participants’ demands, and their testimonials here.  Please Consider Making a Monthly Contribution

The LA Neighbors for Neighbors 15-member core planning team puts on the Resource Center for about $1,000/month. Our main expenses are: lunch for 150 people, toilets and hand-washing stations, and gas for our driving team. We also purchase a number of special items and survival supplies for folks every month, such as tents, sleeping bags, diapers and more. Between events, we spend our free time on direct outreach and building relationships with folks on the street.

In short, we don’t spend time on fundraising. And with your help, we can keep focusing on the work. Please consider making a monthly contribution to LAN4N so we can count on a regular budget that gets us through each Resource Center. All contributions are tax deductible. Click here to contribute.

New Service Provider
Huge thanks to the Department of Mental Health for sponsoring The Laundry Truck at our May Resource Center. The Laundry Truck LA aims to restore a bit of dignity and hope to our local unhoused communities through free laundry service. This new service was a hit at the Resource Center and we hope they’ll come back!New Volunteers
We had 53 volunteers this month, and 12 of them were brand new. At our “circle up” at the beginning of each Resource Center, folks announce whether it’s their first time so we can all cheer. This month, we welcomed first-timers Adam, Ben, Brenda, Daniel, Devon, Diego, Jackie, Katie, Keith, Kelly, Paul and Vidy. Welcome! Let’s Hear It For the Band!
This crew rocked it at the Resource Center on Saturday. Nate Vokal, Adam Smith and Glen Jansma on guitar, Paul Barone and Kim Jansma on keyboard, and Ivory on the conga.  Taekwondo Team Raises $300 for LAN4N
We’d like to thank the CSARTS Black Belt Club for raising $300 for LAN4N! This Taekwondo club is led by Max, one of our amazing drivers. They transported items for the Resource Center and put on a bake sale fundraiser as part of their journey to earning a black belt. Congrats!  BOGO Fundraiser
Help us get solar-powered products to unhoused neighbors. Our friends at Universal Human Rights Initiative are partnering with Unite to Light for a "buy one give one" fundraiser. Buy a solar-powered charger or light and they'll donate one for our guests. This was a hit with guests last year and we’d love to distribute even more at our next Resource Center in July.Wishlist
One of the most popular stations at the monthly Resource Center is the "special items" table. Here, guests can submit requests for items they need but have a hard time accessing. We set up this Amazon wishlist to help fulfill these requests. Anything you purchase will go straight to the person who requested it, or to the special items table the following month.