Mobile Clinic Project at UCLA

Your voice matters and you are heard. This is a sentiment that we echo to the clients we serve, individuals who are often ignored by our local communities due to their unhoused status. However, this idea does not only apply to the Mobile Clinic Project, but also to you! If you can vote, your voice matters, and you deserve to be heard. The Mobile Clinic Project has highlighted the following propositions that we believe may impact the unhoused community of California: Propos...ition 16, Proposition 17, Proposition 20, Proposition 21, and Measure J. These propositions have the potential to drastically affect our unhoused neighbors. As an organization, we hope to educate our local community on these effects as we advocate for our clients. If you are able, please head to the polls, tomorrow, November 3rd, and cast your ballot. Swipe to learn more about the various propositions and ballot measures!

The Mobile Clinic Project at UCLA stands in solidarity with the Black community. Black Lives Matter, and we encourage you all to check out these resources and participate in action to see to it that this fact is reflected in our systems. Please check out this link for a consolidated resource list (petitions, material for self-education, e-mail templates for decision makers, ways to donate, and more): https://docs.google.com//1e-z6sRXta_XmT2hqp6cm/mobilebasic

We aren’t locked down, we are locked out, read about how COVID-19 is impacting vulnerable communities.

Keep faith in yourself is a mantra that Steven has lived by throughout his 60 years of life. He recalls his days attending Prairie View A&M University for Architectural Engineering on a full scholarship in 1978. Two years into his undergraduate career, he felt increasingly stressed and discouraged after not performing well in his engineering prerequisites. After losing his academic scholarship, Steven was forced to drop out of school and could no longer afford to re-enroll ...in a university. Looking for ways to support himself, Steven worked a few jobs before earning his trucking license at 20 years old. His father, a veteran and U.S. Post Office driver, was initially hesitant about his decision. He was also opposed by his mother, who was an educator and wanted him to continue to pursue his academic career. Despite their resistance, Steven continued to have faith in himself and decided to move forward. He felt empowered to travel extensively in the United States with his new trucking license and has never looked back since. Steven visited 48 states and spent time serving as a driver for the Salvation Army. During his travels, Steven met his wife, who was his ex’s sister at the time. Together, they raised two sons who are also interested in carrying on their dad’s legacy of truck driving. Today, Steven works as a machinist, building airplane parts for several local agencies. Although he loves his job, he remembers his trucking days fondly and hopes to own his own trucking company one day. He is proud of his construction knowledge and carpentry skills, and hopes to build his own house for his family. Steven firmly believes that everything is God’s work, and that you should always be true to yourself. He hopes his story motivates others who are unsure about their career and future endeavors, and encourages them to believe in themselves.

Henry has a longstanding history working together with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD); he acted as an officer for over 30 years! As a native to Los Angeles, Henry knew there was much to be done in his community. Inspired by his interests in service and law, Henry went on to graduate with a degree in criminal justice. Growing up, his initial goal was to become a military lawyer, but later on he decided that working as a police officer was the best way to directly imp...act his community. During his time with the LAPD, he was also able to raise a wonderful family in the same city where he spent most of his childhood. Henry wore his uniform with pride for 30 years until he left the department. Since leaving the LAPD, Henry has accumulated health problems with his leg that have hindered his ability to work and now has to live out of his car. After serving for many years, he still continues to share his knowledge and advice for what steps to take during a police encounter. When asked if he has any other lasting advice, Henry urges others to speak with their loved ones and stresses the importance of sharing our feelings with those close to us. See more

Meet Shirley and TJ! Shirley and TJ met over ten years ago while Shirley was working for the city in downtown LA. One of TJ's friend told him that he had to meet Shirley because he'd love her, so TJ came down to the office one day to chat her up. They hit it off immediately and have been inseparable ever since! And upon meeting them, it's easy to see why. Together, they radiate warmth and positivity from a mile away. And their positive outlook is even more admirable consider...ing everything they have been through together. As Shirley put it, "I'd be a wreck without him." They supported each other through Shirley's mother developing Alzheimer's. In the process of taking care of her, Shirley and TJ were no longer able to afford living in LA, so they scraped together enough to put her in a nursing home and moved to Idaho. They were eventually able to find a place they could stay in exchange for working on the home they would be staying in. Unfortunately, after a few months, the landlord asked them to leave. In an effort to escape the cold of winter in Idaho, they came back to LA in search of a new start. In the face of all these hardships, Shirley and TJ still maintain an inspiring outlook, saying, "I just never want to have a hard heart" and "It doesn't matter what happens, as long as we carry ourselves with dignity and respect everyone around us" See more

We are excited to announce our fundraiser with Veggie Grill happening this Friday, December 6th in Ackerman Union from 11am-7pm! All proceeds go directly toward supporting people experiencing homelessness in the Greater Los Angeles Area. Please stop by for a delicious meal and help contribute to a wonderful cause. We hope to see you there :)

Hello everyone, we are so excited to see all of you tomorrow for the start of our annual Sponsor a Home event!! As a reminder, our thrift shop will be open from 11am-6pm in Bruin Plaza tomorrow. We also have a donation bin located in the transfer center if you are planning to donate outside of that window of time!! Stop by for some free Yerba Mate, take a pic with our chalkboard illustrating what home means to you, chat with one of our members about this event, and donate/per...use through gently used items! All of our donations provide for people experiencing home insecurity and clients that we serve on a weekly basis at our clinic. Please come be a part of making this season a little warmer and we hope to see all of you there. We would love to give the warmest thank you to @GoodClothesGoodPeople (link to their fb page below!) for their generous donation of warm clothing items, clothing racks for the event, and hygiene kits to distribute during Westwood Outreach. (https://www.facebook.com/GoodClothesGoodPeople/?__tn__=%2Cd%2CP-R&eid=ARCXxsNrJUEptVl_j_-5e5DZbzfXYPbUlL4bJ08aTU9K7HXA3J_Rx1zr-3korGhVkuUYnKuER53Sri9S)

Taking a leap of faith into the unknown can be as rewarding as it is scary. And for some, that leap can take you far from home, starting a new life in a new country, all by yourself. Meet Kajan Siva. His leap of faith took him from Canada to California at the age of 29. After battling many cold winters and dealing with harsh working conditions and health issues due to his various jobs, Kajan imagined a life without boundaries, so he left Toronto to pursue something new in Lo...s Angeles. Despite being unemployed and without money, Los Angeles provided Kajan with sun--a bright spot to look forward to in a life that had once been cloudy and gray. While in Toronto, Kajan had lived with his family: his parents, his sister and her three children. This left him without a space for himself and he often had to sleep right beside his parents. It was really depressing and when I came out here [LA], I didn’t have that feeling anymore. You know, sleeping on the beach and on hard places isn’t as difficult when you think about it. Determined to stand on his own two feet, Kajan also does stand up comedy from time to time. With his tourist visa set to expire soon, Kajan is figuring out how to balance his LA dreams with his want to see his family again, especially his nieces.

Thank you so much to our friends and family who have so generously donated to Mobile Clinic's Spark campaign. We are so overwhelmed by the enormous support, and thanks to your contributions, we are so close to meeting an incredible goal. But we aren't finished yet! With less than week left in the campaign, we truly believe that we can meet our goal and contribute even more to the unique and resilient population that we serve. Please help us get to the finish line by sharing our campaign with your network. We cannot do it without you! https://spark.ucla.edu/project/15458

Undergraduate Caseworker Applications due tonight at 11:59pm! Email your completed applications to [email protected].