1. The Women of Skid Row
Los Angeles, CA

2. Partner Organizations

3. Your SCALE Team Suzanne Wenzel
Professor at the USC School of Social Work & SCALE Community Partner
Herb Peterson
President of LACPC & SCALE Community Partner
Thomas Tran
Safety Net Initiatives Project Manager at L.A. Care & SCALE Community Partner
Jill Rotenberg
Program Director at JWCH Institute, Inc. & SCALE Community Partner
The Women of Skid Row
SCALE Community Champion(s)
Sarah Callender, LCSW
Health Program Manager at DWC & SCALE Coalition Leader
Peggy Edwards
Executive Director of UHHP & SCALE Community Improvement Advisor
PHOTO: Zocalo Public Square

4. Women of Skid Row
Diverse urban community seeking to improve health outcomes for homeless and low-income women living in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles, CA.
Looking for a community that has improved health outcomes for homeless and low-income women as evidenced by: better access to quality integrated, culturally competent and holistic healthcare, greater patient satisfaction, access to green space and healthy food options, better management of chronic illnesses, access to affordable housing and healthier lifestyles.

5. Top Three Sources of Pride in our Community
The residents of Skid Row themselves, with their myriad talents and skills.
The community partners collaborating and working hard every day.
The artwork!
PHOTO: Lord Jim
PHOTO: Stephen Zeigler
PHOTO: Lord Jim
PHOTO: HollowDoubt.com
PHOTO: Ginger Rudolph

6. Area(s) of Focus for our SCALE Work
Access to holistic, integrated & culturally competent healthcare
Increased patient satisfaction
Meaningful engagement of Community Champions
Access to green space and healthy food options
Better management of chronic illnesses
Increased options for affordable housing
Healthier lifestyles
We plan to improve equity by starting with individual and agency change, and scaling up to create larger systems change.
PHOTO: reclaimingfutures.org

7. We are most proud of our work to…
Results:
LACPC helped create the Coordinated Entry System to prioritize the most vulnerable homeless individuals for housing and healthcare, resulting in 71 women obtaining permanent housing in the first year.
In 2014 CCH saw 9,067 patients who made 38,666 visits. 2,737 of those patients were women.
In 2014 there were 1000 clinic visits, 1100 mental health sessions & 830 women participating in health & wellness activities at the DWC Women’s Health Center.
Results of the HHC project demonstrated a 41% decrease in unnecessary emergency healthcare usage among 40 women enrolled in the first year. Conservatively, the HHC saved local County hospitals $120,000 in avoided inpatient Medicaid costs.
The network of over 375 organizations that make up UHHP has resulted in improved policies and increased funding for healthcare, housing, and supportive services for homeless individuals and families, increased coordination of services, and the improved ability of case managers to connect homeless residents to resources.
USC is working on projects to develop evidence-based STD/HIV prevention services for women and to investigate transitions to permanent supportive housing and subsequent changes in behavioral health, social relations, and life quality.
L.A. Care received 200,000 new members across Los Angeles County with MediCal expansion and has been working extensively with communities to provide outreach and training on new healthcare benefits.
Convene the LACPC to share resources, create partnerships and advocate for change
Serve the community with the JWCH Center for Community Health (CCH) and the DWC Women’s Health Center
Improve access to care for women 55 and older through the Project Change Leaders Health Home Connect (HHC) project
Create opportunities for advocacy and training through UHHP
Conduct meaningful research on health & wellness with the USC School of Social Work
Partner with L.A. Care Health Plan to enroll women into MediCal and help improve access to care for homeless patients

8. We know a lot about….. We need help with…..
Collaborating with a diverse group of partners
Advocating for change
Our clients’ needs
Selecting and involving our Community Champions in a meaningful way
Improving performance accountability at the systems level
Increased communication across the systems level

9. Favorite Hometown Spot(s)
MADE by DWC Café & Gift Boutique
MADE by DWC Resale Boutique
Photo: J. Mapes
San Julian Park

10. Words We Live By….. Our Community Theme Song…. Integrity Collaboration
Compassion
Empowerment
Justice
“I Love L.A.” by Randy Newman
PHOTO: Imran Fazal

11. Celebrity Spokesperson Who Best Represents Us (and why)
We believe that our clients are the best spokespeople for our coalition since they represent the reason for and the impact of the work that we do. They continually inspire us with their resilience, generosity, creativity and spirit, even in the face of many obstacles.

12. Best way to contact us: ​Sarah Callender, LCSW Health Program Manager
Downtown Women’s Center
442 South San Pedro Street
Los Angeles, California 90013
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