The Cal State L.A. Assn. of Student Social Workers planned and organized an outreach event that provided shoes, socks, soap and other items to homeless people on Skid Row.
On February 7 student volunteers set up tables outside the Union Rescue Mission in downtown Los Angeles. They were joined by students from USC and Cal State Fullerton, as well as alumni from the University of Michigan and members of the nonprofit organization Love Equally, Evolve Freely (LEEF).
Students handed out more than 500 emergency kits. In addition to shoes and toiletries, the kits contain a reference guide with information about organizations that assist the homeless.
The faculty advisor for the Assn. of Student Social Workers is Professor Joanne Altschuler.
The outreach effort, which took months to plan, exemplifies Cal State L.A.’s mission of engagement, service, and the public good. The university has implemented a general education requirement that will require students to complete two courses that feature engagement with the surrounding multicultural neighborhoods and the greater Los Angeles area. Civic learning and community service will be closely connected to their coursework.
Photo: Cal State L.A. students volunteered to help homeless people on Skid Row. (Courtesy of Assn. of Student Social Workers )