LAMP Community (originally the Los Angeles Men's Place) is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization located in
Skid Row
A skid row or skid road is an impoverished area, typically urban, in English-speaking North America whose inhabitants are mostly poor people " on the skids". This specifically refers to poor or homeless, considered disreputable, downtrodden or fo ...
that seeks to permanently end homelessness, improve health, and build self-sufficiency among men and women living with severe mental illness.
[LAMP Community homepage](_blank)
/ref>[A better way of dealing with society's neediest](_blank)
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Lamp Community also played a prominent role in the movie ''The Soloist
''The Soloist'' is a 2009 drama film directed by Joe Wright, and starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. The plot is based on the true story of Nathaniel Ayers, a musician who developed schizophrenia and became homeless. The film was released i ...
''.[LAMP Community about page](_blank)
History
The Los Angeles Men's Place was founded by Mollie Lowery and Frank Rice in 1985 as a night-time drop-in centre for homeless men with mental problems.
Services
Lamp Community operates under, and helped to pioneer, the Housing First
Housing First is a policy that offers unconditional, permanent housing as quickly as possible to homeless people, and other supportive services afterward. It was first discussed in the 1990s, and in the following decades became government policy ...
model. It offers immediate access to affordable, safe and permanent housing without requiring sobriety or participation in treatment. Once settled in their home, new tenants are surrounded with customized services such as mental health treatment, drug recovery, healthcare, budgeting, visual performing arts, job opportunities, and other supports to help them achieve their goals and become part of their community. LAMP employees are sometimes former tenants. There is also a volunteer program for those wanting to contribute to the foundation.
See also
* Housing First
Housing First is a policy that offers unconditional, permanent housing as quickly as possible to homeless people, and other supportive services afterward. It was first discussed in the 1990s, and in the following decades became government policy ...
* Nathaniel Ayers
Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, Jr. (born January 31, 1951) is an American musician. He is the subject of numerous newspaper columns, a book, and a 2009 film adaptation based on the columns. A foundation bearing his name was started in 2008 with an aim ...
References
https://www.thepeopleconcern.org/about/
External links
Lamp Community Website
"Saving for the future, a dollar a time"
a radio story originally aired on '' Marketplace Money'' on May 16, 2010. The highlights Lamp Community's Money Management Program, which offers personal banking services and financial literacy courses to hundreds of Skid Row residents.
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Homelessness organizations
Non-profit organizations based in Los Angeles
Homelessness in the United States
Housing in California