Child Care Centers (Link)

The Henderson Community Center was organized in 1947 during the ministry of the late Dr. J. Raymond Henderson. Property for the center was purchased from the Children's Home Society .The buildings, five in all, were first used as living quarters for senior citizens. The center was named in honor of Dr. Henderson. The center closed when funding from the community chest was discontinued. On March 15,1964, the center was reopened and dedicated during the tenure of Dr. Thomas Kilgore. On April 6, 1966, members of Second Baptist, along with a distinguished array of political leaders and educational officials, opened the Child Care Center which now serves 98 children between the ages of 2 to 5 years. This was one of the first child care training centers under Title V, HEW. The center is located at 2419 Griffith Avenue.

Shelters

Faith Hall, Charity Hall, and Harmony House

In 1989 the first of three shelters was established. Given the pressing need of housing for the homeless Second Baptist, a Servant Church has always attempted to meet the challenge to serve this present age. Three shelters, Faith Hall, Charity Manor, and Harmony House, provide a transitional home for 58 women and children. The shelters are located at 911 E. 25th Street. Additionally, case workers are assigned to each resident to provide the necessary counseling in order to address the specific needs of each individual. Some of the objectives of the shelter programs are to provide support, short-term and long-term housing and to give intensive case work services to build self-esteem, emotional and financial stability.

PRePP

PRePP (People Resource Participation Program) was started by Mrs. F. Toney under the leadership of Dr. Kilgore in 1983. It was organized to meet the educational needs of the people in the community, as well as to provide referral information for persons with regard to employment, health, social services and welfare benefits.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Iris Ambrose (Secretary), Charles Anderson (Parliamentarian), Joe Bailey, Bobby Boykins (Treasurer), Loureen Bryant (Ass. Treasurer), Kim Davis, Fannie Dean, Pam Elkins, William Epps, Willie Graven, Christine Holifield, Jesse Holmes, Clara James, Andrew Johnson, Reginal Jones-Sawyer, Eugene Kenourgios (PRePP Director), Mildred Lovett (Child-Care" Center Director), Albert Matthews (Vice President), Kathy McCollom (Director of Shelter Program), Wanda Moore (President), Cathy Rusoff-O'Neill, Henry Purnell (Historian), Audry Quarles, Lillie Thomas, Robert Ward, and Hester Watkins.

CANAAN HOUSING CORPORATION

CANAAN HOUSING CORPORATION is a non-profit church-based community organization seeking to improve the quality of life in the Skid Row and South Central Los Angeles communities by developing affordable housing and by establishing economic and self- help programs which will build the capacity of people to be self sufficient.

BRIEF HISTORY

In the summer of 1988, Pastor Epps spoke to the congregation regarding the overwhelming need for permanent and affordable housing in the Skid Row section of Los Angeles. A special committee was formed to explore the feasibility of acquiring, renovating and preserving two of the Single Room Occupancy (SRO) Hotels on Fifth Street. At a semi-annual church meeting in July of 1989 the congregation consented to proceed with the developing of two hotels on Skid Row. In 1990 Canaan Housing Corporation was formed as a separate 501 (c) 3 nonprofit corporation.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING
SPONSORED BY CANAAN

ST. MARKS AND CRESCENT HOTELS
611-615 FIFTH STREET ON SKID ROW

ROBERTA STEPHENS VILLA I AND ll, 1335 E. 27th STREET,
A LOW INCOME HOUSING COMPLEX WHICH PROVIDES TWO AND THREE BEDROOM APARTMENT LIVING TO FORTY FAMILIES. THIS PROJECT WAS DEVELOPED AS A LIMITED PARTNER WITH CONCERNED CITIZENS OF SOUTH CENTRAL LOS ANGELES.

CANAAN GARDENS IS A SEVEN UNIT LARGE FAMILY COMPLEX OF TOWNHOUSES, LOCATED AT 641-7 E. 27th STREET, FEATURING THREE BEDROOM AND FOUR BEDROOM UNITS WITH SUNKEN LIVING ROOMS, PRIVATE GARAGES, PRIVATE LAUNDRIES, A TOT LOT AND A COMMUNITY ROOM.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAMS

PROJECT OPEN DOOR

PROJECT OPEN DOOR is a drop-in center and community outreach program serving homeless, at-risk of homeless and formerly homeless persons in the Skid Row area of downtown Los Angeles. Project Open Door was established by Canaan in 1993 under the leadership of the multidisciplinary consortium of persons from local universities, social service agencies and the church. Serving over 1200 persons in 1996 the following kinds of services are provided:

.Individual intake, assessment, counseling and case management
.Alcohol and substance abuse recovery programs and referral
.Men's, women's and family support groups
.Literacy enhancement, library and reading room programs
.Employment counseling, mentoring and vocational rehabilitation referrals .Shelter, transitional and permanent housing referrals.

NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZING

Adopt-A-Block is a neighborhood organizing program which began through our efforts to work with neighbors in the surrounding community after the civil unrest of 1992. This organizing effort which began as neighborhood meetings in the backyard of the home of one of the directors has recently joined with other concerned persons in the community to develop the ninth District Council. The Adopt-A-Block program has the following components:
Housing Preservation
Neighborhood Organizing
Public Service Improvement
Commercial and Retail Stimulation

MULTI-DISCIPLINARY CONSORTIUM FOR
PROJECT OPEN DOOR

Ronald Barrett, Convener, Loyola Marymount University
Gwen Barrett, Inner City Law Center
Jolly Beyeioky, World Vision and Bresee Institute
Verda Bradley, Dept. of Mental Health
Anna Campbell, Canaan Housing Corporation
Mary Fitzgerald, Loyola Marymount University
Barbara Frost, The Education Connection
Cheryl Grills, Loyola Marymount University
Kathy McCullom, Henderson Community Center
Toni Mosley, Prototype Women's Resource Center
Joe Nunn, UCLA
Beverly Q'Rourke, Dept. of Mental Health
Mary-Brent Wehrli, UCLA
William Campbell, Program Coordinator