Safe Haven in Skid Row
People struggling with homelessness in Skid Row and the street outreach teams working to house them can now take advantage of the newly opened Mollie Lowery and Frank Rice Center, which offers an array of services, from food to showers to healthcare and more.
Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas at the Mollie Lowery and Frank Rice Center. Photo by Aurelia Ventura, Board of Supervisors
Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who helped fund Los Angeles County’s first street outreach teams five years ago under a program called C3 — which stands for County/City/Community — toured the facility informally called the C3 Center.
Funded by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS) Housing for Health Division, the Mollie Lowery and Frank Rice Center is operated by The People Concern, one of the County’s largest nonprofit social services agencies.
“C3 Outreach Teams are essential workers in the fight against homelessness and they’re on the frontlines every day,” Supervisor Ridley-Thomas said. “With homelessness and COVID-19 deepening, we have a crisis within a crisis and must redouble our efforts to help the homeless.The Mollie Lowery and Frank Rice Center is an expansion and evolution of our services for our unsheltered neighbors, and underscores our commitment to bringing Everyone In.”
Clothes for people experiencing homelessness are available at the new Center. Photo by Aurelia Ventura, Board of Supervisors
The original C3 Outreach Teams that launched in Skid Row in 2015 became the prototype for the multi-disciplinary street outreach teams now operating throughout the County, thanks to Measure H, championed by Supervisor Ridley-Thomas.
Previously, C3 Outreach Teams could only render services on the streets, including building a relationship with and earning the trust of their homeless clients in order to connect them with stable housing.
Now, C3 Outreach Teams can take their homeless clients to the Mollie Lowery and Frank Rice Center. On the first floor, they can get food, take a shower, obtain donated clothing and shoes, and relax in a landscaped courtyard. They can also get medical care on-site from LA Christian Health Services, and avail of mental health services, case management, and life skills and wellness workshops.
The second floor has offices for the C3 Outreach Teams, which consist of mental health clinicians, substance abuse case managers, case managers, and medical staff.
The People Concern’s C3 outreach teams going out to help people experiencing homelessness on the streets of Skid Row. Photo by Aurelia Ventura, Board of Supervisors
“The opening of this Center enables our C3 Outreach Team to streamline service delivery by having a brick-and-mortar location where C3 participants can find comprehensive care under one roof,” said John Maceri, CEO of The People Concern. “This facility makes it possible for the most vulnerable in the Skid Row area to rebuild their lives.”
“Our team serves the most vulnerable folks and we are thrilled to be able to expand our services and offer C3 participants a safe community space to catch their breath and receive critical services,” added The People Concern C3 Director Ciara DeVozza.
“DHS’s Housing for Health Division is excited for the reopening of the Mollie Lowery and Frank Rice Center,” DHS Housing for Health Director of Street- Based Engagement, Interim Housing and Enriched Residential Care, Elizabeth Boyce, said. “The partnership between The People Concern and DHS-Housing for Health in renovating and revitalizing this building has been amazing and will result in critical services being provided to the residents of this neighborhood.”
L-R: DHS Housing for Health Director of Street-Based Engagement, Interim Housing and Enriched Residential Care, Elizabeth Boyce; Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas; The People Concern CEO John Maceri; and DHS Housing for Health Director Cheri Todoroff. Photo by Aurelia Ventura, Board of Supervisors.
