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“Together, we can end homelessness and move more people experiencing mental health issues into a compassionate environment in which to recover and thrive.”
“I’ve been doing this long enough to know that what Step Up is doing is profoundly good, and profoundly needed. So build it, support what Step Up is doing, and stay at this until there is no body wandering the streets alone just because their friends and neighbors didn’t realize they were also their brothers and sisters. ”
“Our vision is to make Los Angeles an ideal place for Veterans.”
“Over the next two years, Step Up will provide access to permanent housing and a rich array of support services for an additional 1,000 individuals, each having lived on the streets for an average of 5 years.”
Step Up works to support individuals experiencing mental health conditions and homelessness in these communities.
Dear Step Up Friends, Volunteers, Donors and Staff,
The Step Up Family has been challenged recently not only by the pandemic but also by the outcries of social injustice in our communities. We are, all of us, looking for ways to make a difference, to enact change. Together, we will figure this out and make the hard changes that are necessary to move forward as a civil and just society. It will take time. Much time. Already, though, we see incremental change unfolding with the adjustment of charges and additional individuals charged and held responsible for George Floyd’s murder. We must insist that justice be served.
The death and video of George Floyd was devastating to watch; another black man in our society, killed, brutally strangled while helpless in police custody. The rioting, looting and violence in the street as an aftermath and a protest to the killing. It’s hard to absorb and make sense of it all. Sadness, anger, fear, desperation… we all feel this and much more. As a mental health agency, we know it is important to voice our concerns, worries and fears.
The times we are living in are unprecedented. We work with the most disabled, the outcasts in our communities, the most likely to die on our streets. Respect, wellness, hope and voice and choice are core to our work. Inclusion and a sense of belonging are central to our success and our world view. When we witness, outside the Step Up world, exclusion, disrespect, hopelessness and the silencing of others, indeed violence to others, even when it is outside our mission, it violates our moral and ethical principles because it goes against our very core values.
What can I/you/him/her/us/they do? You, of course, will have your own answers. Here are some of mine. First and foremost, do what you need to take care of yourself and express yourself and dialogue with others. Use the resources in your personal world and the Step Up world. And then I believe we can do the greatest good by focusing on and continuing our own great work. I will put a renewed and re-invigorated dialogue and effort on diversity and inclusion, and its many lenses, within the Step Up family.
Amidst this death and destruction, a pandemic, rioting and record unemployment, it helps to remind ourselves to be grateful. We are lucky to do what we do and to be in a position to continue to do what we do and get paid for it, all while doing good in the world. Nonetheless, we have to strive for more. And we will. Our name says it all: Step Up. We will continue, each day, to step up for those in our society who are disenfranchised. We hope you will join us on the right side of history by continuing to donate, volunteer, and work with our members.
Best wishes for healing,
Tod Lipka President & CEO
A preview of some of our excellent partners and supporters.
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