Nonprofit helps women in low-income housing greet the new year with new houses

Dozens of women in low-income housing are greeting the new year with new homes. 

Safe Families in Echo Park is an interim housing facility that is part of a non-profit organization called The Whole Child. It gives low-income families a place to live until they can get back on their feet.  

Through a $5 million grant in November from Bezos Day 1 Family Fund, The Whole Child, that’s been around since the 1950s, can now more easily help families at its six sites in LA with education, employment and housing.  

“Our goal for the program is to get families off the street, especially the children,” said Senior Case Manager Sarah Berumen. “A lot of them don’t understand what’s going on. Some of them will say, ‘hey we were just in our home a month ago. What is happening?’”

The Whole Child says about 30 low-income families across its six locations will be able to move into their own homes in 2020. The organization says about 12 of those are in Echo Park.  

“We’re just ready to move forward and get passed these rough three months that we’ve had,” said Karen Gracias who has been at Safe Families with her family since September. “We really hope and pray to God that this is going to be our opportunity.”