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FACTS AND FIGURES
Los Angeles has a population of nearly 4 million people in the
city limits; 10.2 million in Los Angeles county, and 18 million in "Greater L.A."
(Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties).
In a city of 4 million Los Angeles is:
44% Latino 31% White 12% Asian 9% African American 0.4% Native American
As of the 2000 census more than 30% of the population of Los Angeles was foreign
born. This does not include the thousands of the immigrants that stream through, using
Los Angeles as a point of entry before moving to another city. The native lands of
Los Angeles residents represent more than 140 different countries throughout the world.
For the 4 million residents of Los Angeles there are less than
10,000 police officers. Los Angeles also has over 63,000 gang members and gang members
outnumber police 7 to 1. The LAPD handles over 3.3 million phone calls each year.
1.9 million of those calls are 9-1-1 emergency calls.
DID YOU KNOW THAT...
Greater Los Angeles is:
The largest Mexican metropolitan area outside of Mexico
The largest Japanese metropolitan area outside of Japan
The largest Taiwanese metropolitan area outside of Taiwan
The largest Korean metropolitan area outside of Korea
The largest Filipino metropolitan area outside of the Philippines
The largest Armenian metropolitan area outside of Armenia
The largest Thai metropolitan area out side of Thailand
The largest Vietnamese metropolitan area outside of Vietnam
Los Angeles is known both as America's First Third World City and
the world's future financial capital.
Children in the L.A. unified school district speak over 90 different
languages. Belmont High School in Los Angeles is California's largest high school with
4,200 students. Its teenage students from around the world speak more than 30 different
languages.
People, Problems, Issues
There are at least 91,000 homeless people each night in
Los Angeles County. About 15-20,000 homeless people live on "Skid Row".
This is a ten square block area at the center of downtown Los Angeles. At any
given time at least half the homeless population literally sleeps on the streets.
The average age of homeless person is around 40 years old. One third to one half
of the homeless population is women and girls.
Causes of homelessness shown in research tend to include
the following:
- Lack of affordable housing
- Poverty
- Low-paying jobs and labor market changes
- Unemployment
- Mental illness
- Substance abuse
- Changes and cuts in public assistance
- Domestic violence
- Changes in family structure
- Prison release
- Chronic health problems
- Lack of access to affordable health care
INSIGHTS ON THE CITY
BY TIM AND MALIA PETERS (former co-directors)
Los Angeles is a huge mission field with an abundance of needs, hurt,
pain, brokenness, tension, stress, hopelessness, depression, violence,
anger, oppression, bondage, and hate. At the same time, Los Angeles has
God in its midst, healing the hurt and pain, bringing wholeness and peace,
giving rest to the weary, giving home and joy, encouraging, loving
liberating, and changing peoples' lives for eternity.
While Los Angeles' problems are not unique to major urban
centers, L.A. has an intensity that few cities share. Its diversity,
combined with a history of racial volatility, has caused two major civil
disturbances in the last three decades--the 1965 Watts riots and the havoc
wreaked in the aftermath of the acquittal verdicts handed down in the
Rodney King beating trial. There is a crying need for people of different
cultures and colors to band together to combat the myriad of problems
they face as residents of inner-city L.A.
Los Angeles also illustrates the huge gap between rich and
poor present in so many of our nation's cities. The central city financial
district (which employs over 100,000 commuting suburbanites and includes the
Biltmore Hotel, one of L.A.'s most expensive) sits just two blocks away from
Skid Row, where tens of thousands of people live in flophouse hotels or
literally out on the street.
This gap needs to be narrowed; the wealthy need to share
resources to meet the needs of the poor huddled just outside their back doors.
This is not an easy task, and will take a lot of time and effort. The local
government has proven itself incapable of even beginning to address the needs
of the poor and disadvantaged in L.A. current government-led programs are
failing miserably.
Frankly, it shouldn't be the government's responsibility
to meet these needs in the first place. The Bible clearly commands us as
followers of Christ to meet the needs of the "least among us". Some
Christians are rising to this challenge, but many more are needed. If every
Christian would just do his or her part, we wouldn't have a problem with poverty,
and we wouldn't have to look to the government
to do what we can and should be doing.
CSM MINISTRY SITE SAMPLER
Faith in Christ is a church located in South Central Los
Angeles. They welcome the poor and oppressed in their neighborhood and provide
a range of ministries, including food distribution, weekly "Sidewalk
Breakfasts", and a variety of tutoring and Bible club ministries for
neighborhood children. CSM groups assist with the physical plant, help with the
tutoring and Bible club programs, and prepare and serve "Sidewalk Breakfasts".
The Midnight Mission has been serving the Skid Row community
since 1914 with emergency shelter, food and clothing, as well as a drug and
alcohol rehabilitation program. The Midnight's mission is to be a bridge that
carries men, women and children back into the community through counseling,
training and job placement. Working alongside the men of the Midnight, CSM
groups hear stories and learn first hand the damage of addiction to drugs, while
at the same time seeing examples of incredible strength in the men who are
working to overcome these addictions. CSM groups have seen and heard these
stories of faith and victory since they began serving meals and working in the
kitchen nearly every week since 1999.
Central City Community Church is located in Skid Row. Its
vision is to be a church where homeless and poor neighborhood residents can be
welcome, feel comfortable, and worship alongside other believers. CCCC also hosts
S.A.Y. YES! Center for Youth Development, an after-school program for children
who live in nearby Skid Row hotels. CSM groups help to lead S.A.Y. YES! Bible
times, tutor neighborhood children, participate in the Karaoke Coffee Club and
assist CCCC with its ongoing maintenance needs.
Las Familias del Pueblo is a day care facility for poor
working parents in downtown L.A. Its small but dedicated staff (usually
2-4 people on any given day) work to cope with over 50 lively children. CSM
groups are much welcomed as they lavish much-needed time and attention on
these little boys and girls.
Alegria is a Salvation Army transitional housing
facility and program for families who have become homeless as a result of
HIV/AIDS. Thefamilies at Alegria tend to isolate themselves in order to cope
with the seriousness of AIDS. However, the staff here knows that it is
socially, emotionally and even physically healthy for the families to
interact with people outside the program.





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