Posts tagged #NeighborToNeighbor
We Do This Because We Love People- Letters to the Housed
We Do This Because We Love People- Letters to the Housed

When anger consumed my love for working with unhoused neighbors after losing a friend, three wise elders reminded me why we serve: not to make a difference, but to be made different. This personal story explores the journey from compassion fatigue back to love-centered service, moving from trauma-informed to healing-centered engagement. Discover practical steps for rediscovering joy in helping professions and why community connection is the antidote to burnout.

Read More
Letters to the HousedPaul Asplund#LettersToTheHoused, #LTTH, #HomelessnessIndustrialComplex, #StreetOutreach, #SkidRowLA, #SecondGraceLA, #RecoveryIsCommunity, #CommunityOverCaseManagement, #LivedExperienceMatters, #NeighborToNeighbor, #LAHomelessCrisis, #PasadenaAdvocacy, #AddictionRecovery, #CommunityWisdom, #ServiceProviders, #NonprofitReform, #GrassrootsOrganizingComment
Three Ways To Help Keep Immigrant Communities Together- Letters to the Housed
Three Ways To Help Keep Immigrant Communities Together- Letters to the Housed

Last fall, when Trump launched his first salvo against LGBTQIA+ rights, I expanded the purview of SecondGrace.LA and wrote a quick primer on actionable items and information we could take to support our communities. Since then, millions of words have been written about Trump attacking the rights of all our "vulnerable populations"—truly a bully picking on the people he sees as weak

Read More
Letters to the HousedPaul Asplund#LettersToTheHoused, #LTTH, #HomelessnessIndustrialComplex, #StreetOutreach, #SkidRowLA, #SecondGraceLA, #RecoveryIsCommunity, #MutualAidNetworks, #CommunityOverCaseManagement, #LivedExperienceMatters, #NeighborToNeighbor, #FaithAndJustice, #SpiritualActivism, #LAHomelessCrisis, #PasadenaAdvocacy, #AddictionRecovery, #CommunityWisdom, #ServiceProviders, #NonprofitReform, #GrassrootsOrganizingComment
Here's How It Can Be Done- Letters to the Housed
Here's How It Can Be Done- Letters to the Housed

We could end homelessness in our lifetime if we provided three simple things: a living wage, affordable housing, and universal healthcare. I remember the day I came to this realization. I was writing a presentation, a variation of the same one I had given dozens of times, full of heart-rending statistics, followed by stories of triumph. It caught me off guard, a real ‘a-ha’ moment, and I paused writing the presentation and took out my notebook.

Read More
Letters to the HousedPaul Asplund#LettersToTheHoused, #LTTH, #HomelessnessIndustrialComplex, #StreetOutreach, #SkidRowLA, #SecondGraceLA, #RecoveryIsCommunity, #MutualAidNetworks, #CommunityOverCaseManagement, #LivedExperienceMatters, #NeighborToNeighbor, #FaithAndJustice, #SpiritualActivism, #LAHomelessCrisis, #PasadenaAdvocacy, #AddictionRecovery, #CommunityWisdom, #ServiceProviders, #NonprofitReform, #GrassrootsOrganizingComment
State and National Actions- Letters to the Housed
State and National Actions- Letters to the Housed

Living Wage for All California is pushing for a $22-24 minimum wage statewide. The campaign believes California's current minimum wage is not nearly enough, and they are working with lawmakers including Assemblymember Ash Kalra who introduced Assembly Bill 1516 to study wage impacts and build momentum for higher wages.

Local victories are adding up: Los Angeles just voted to raise the minimum wage to $30 for tourism workers by 2028, creating a model other cities can follow. Find out if your city has active minimum wage campaigns and get involved.

Read More
Letters to the HousedPaul Asplund#LettersToTheHoused, #LTTH, #HomelessnessIndustrialComplex, #StreetOutreach, #SkidRowLA, #SecondGraceLA, #RecoveryIsCommunity, #MutualAidNetworks, #CommunityOverCaseManagement, #LivedExperienceMatters, #NeighborToNeighbor, #FaithAndJustice, #SpiritualActivism, #LAHomelessCrisis, #PasadenaAdvocacy, #AddictionRecovery, #CommunityWisdom, #ServiceProviders, #NonprofitReform, #GrassrootsOrganizingComment
When I Started Talking to People on the Streets- Letters to the Housed
When I Started Talking to People on the Streets- Letters to the Housed

experience and how it could be used to help others. I’ve talked about being unhoused myself when I was 26. That was over 35 years ago. I got help, got my life together, and had a whole career. But before 2014, I rarely talked about experiencing homelessness with anyone, especially at work. I was ashamed. I thought if I told people I'd been homeless, they'd judge me and wouldn't give me opportunities.

Read More
Letters to the HousedPaul Asplund#LettersToTheHoused, #LTTH, #HomelessnessIndustrialComplex, #StreetOutreach, #SkidRowLA, #SecondGraceLA, #RecoveryIsCommunity, #MutualAidNetworks, #CommunityOverCaseManagement, #LivedExperienceMatters, #NeighborToNeighbor, #FaithAndJustice, #SpiritualActivism, #LAHomelessCrisis, #PasadenaAdvocacy, #AddictionRecovery, #CommunityWisdom, #ServiceProviders, #NonprofitReform, #GrassrootsOrganizingComment
Letters to the Housed
Letters to the Housed

Challenging the system that manages homelessness instead of ending it. Letters from Paul Asplund, who recovered from homelessness in 1988 and has spent a decade on LA's streets learning what actually works: community-based solutions that center lived experience over bureaucracy. Real stories, hard truths, and practical ways neighbors can help neighbors—because the people closest to the problem are closest to the solution.

Read More
Letters to the HousedPaul Asplund#LettersToTheHoused, #LTTH, #HomelessnessIndustrialComplex, #StreetOutreach, #SkidRowLA, #SecondGraceLA, #RecoveryIsCommunity, #MutualAidNetworks, #CommunityOverCaseManagement, #LivedExperienceMatters, #NeighborToNeighbor, #FaithAndJustice, #SpiritualActivism, #LAHomelessCrisis, #PasadenaAdvocacy, #AddictionRecovery, #CommunityWisdom, #ServiceProviders, #NonprofitReform, #GrassrootsOrganizingComment