Joe and Andrea had a comfortable life in Oregon. They had a large house overlooking the city where they lived with their two children, Ana and Zoe. Then all of a sudden, they lost everything. They both lost their jobs. They lost their house. Soon after, they found themselves out on the streets, homeless and looking for shelter in motels with their 2 little children.
However, in the middle of all the suffering and uncertainty, Joe was able to find a job in Los Angeles through a friend, so they moved to Lawndale last year. The pay was little, but it was enough to pay for the rent and food. Andrea didn’t work because she had to take care of their two daughters.
Shortly after they got settled in, their oldest daughter, Ana, became sick. They had no money or insurance to take her to a doctor. Andrea frantically contacted several agencies for help but didn’t have any luck. She persisted with her calls and finally reached someone at 211 LA County, a comprehensive information center on health and social services. Love INC SB is listed there as a faith-based referral service that helps the poor and needy. The 211 social worker there gave Andrea our phone number.