Help Lorena Move Into Permanent Housing

Several weeks ago, a group of friends and I met Lorena Rosales (center of photo). As part of our school’s homeless outreach group, we were on a regular Saturday trip to Watts (a low-income LA neighborhood). Lorena’s “home” is a tent/make-shift shack in an empty lot, yet she is a deeply hospitable woman--as soon as we met her, she excitedly invited us to have a seat in her house. She explained that since her husband went to jail, she has had to live in this shack by herself--unable to leave for more than 30 minutes at a time because she is afraid of someone stealing her belongings. Being stranded there also means that she can’t get a job, go to church, or do simple errands. When we asked Lorena if we could bring her anything, she responded that friendship is the most important thing to her.

After getting to know Lorena better, our outreach team contacted our friend Karen at Hope Lifted, a small, local non-profit organization that assists homeless individuals and families get back on their feet and eventually support themselves (link below). Hope Lifted does this by setting up apartments, providing rent for the first few months, providing groceries, assisting with job-applications, etc. They continue to follow up with their applicants througout the process. Our team has enjoyed volunteering with Hope Lifted this year and finds it to be a truly genuine and inspiring organization.

Karen explained to us that Lorena is in a position that would make getting her into housing fairly easy--Lorena has full US documentation, is drug/alcohol free, and is eager to find a job (she has a good reputation with previous employers). However, because Hope Lfited has such great success stories, they currently have a line of people that are waiting to be a part of the program. As a small non-profit, Hope Lifted can only help a few people at a time and it may be many months until Lorena can get started with them.

BUT this is where your help comes in! Karen told us that if we were able to raise the initial funds on our own and help with finding and setting up an apartment for Lorena, Hope Lifted would eagerly begin the process as soon as possible.

Any donations to help Lorena would be deeply appreciated! Although donations are anonymous, please contact me (Anamika Gurung, link below) or anyone else on our team if you would like to hear follows ups on Lorena’s story, see photos of the apartment set up, our team etc. It's been cool seeing Jesus' clear fingerprints in various aspects of the story so far (ask me about it and I'll tell you more!) and we’d love for you to be a part of it! :)

Thank you so much! We hope you have a wonderful Christmas season!

Hope Lifted Website: http://www.hopeliftedjourney.com/

Anamika Gurung: https://www.facebook.com/anamika.gurung.9