Project H.A.L.O.: Recent Episodes
Crystal Zahler
Welcome to the Project H.A.L.O. podcast which stands for: Helping the Homeless community with Awareness, Action, Learning, and Love, while Observing the issues and solutions. The homeless community of Southern California is the largest in the nation and the difficulties that face that community are multi-faceted with no quick solution to resolve the problem overnight. Project H.A.L.O.'s host Crystal Zahler, explores current solutions that are in operation along with professionals that have information to share on what more could be done in the future to assist people experiencing homelessness.
The Midnight Mission is a non-profit organization that has been serving those experiencing homelessness for over 100 years in Los Angeles. The mission got it's name from serving meals behind a church at midnight back in the early 1900s. Now multiple meals are served daily and the organization does not have direct ties to religion, just purely the goal of helping anyone experiencing homelessness or financial hardships regardless of their beliefs. In 2005 The Midnight Mission relocated to the heart of Skid Row where it felt the community needed to be served the most. Andrew Linares has worked for The Midnight Mission for over 4 years, after actually receiving services a few years prior to that and is appreciative for the services offered. More information on volunteering can be found here.
Lily Sofiani is the Assistant Deputy of Homelessness Policy for District 2 under Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell. Lily has been passionate about helping people since she was a little kid, but back then she thought it would take her making large sums of money to make a difference. Now she's realized that her daily work is able to make an impact. For more details on her present position or the path she paved towards her current role, she is on LinkedIn.
The OC Rescue Mission is not an emergency facility, but a back to work program that helps their students get the highest paying job they've ever had. Julia Ostunio has been working with the mission for several years and has been touched by the impact they are able to make on people's lives. If you would like to see what the campus looks like, they have a visual tour on their website here. If you would like to donate your time, volunteer information can be found here.
John Maceri of The People Concern, a non profit organization in Santa Monica, California has been working with non-profits since the 1980s and is working hard to care for those experiencing homelessness, domestic abuse, and other hardships. The People Concern has over 56 years of experience and aims to help those most vulnerable. Volunteering information can be found here for those interested in donating their time.
Gary Dean Painter is a professor and Chair of the Department of Public Policy at USC, as well as the director of the USC Sol Price Center for Social Innovation, and the Director of the Homelessness Policy Research Institute. His contact information can be found here, along with his other affiliated research centers and programs.