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REASONS WHY TASLA AND ITS PROGRAMS
DESERVES YOUR SUPPORT
1.
Travelers Aid Society of Los Angeles (TASLA) is making a difference in our community.
2. TASLA has helped people for over 80 years.
3. TASLA is home to the first and oldest youth drop-in center in Hollywood: Teen Canteen.
4. TASLA provides assistance and support to individuals (youth and adults) and families in crisis due to mobility, homelessness, or other disruptive circumstances.
5. TASLA provides a safe, nondiscriminatory place for people to get help, regardless of ethnicity, race, gender, or sexual orientation. TASLA is nondenominational and staff is trained in cultural competency.
6.
TASLA assists individuals and families in crisis with emergency food, shelter, and transportation.
7. TASLA provides youth, families, and adults with an opportunity to reconnect with people who care.
8. TASLA is linked with other community resources to assist people in need. TASLA is a part of a local continuum of care assisting youth, adults, and families to receive needed assistance.
9. TASLA has a model volunteer training program.
10. TASLA assisted 3467 individuals with crisis intervention over the phone by professional caseworkers from July 2002 to June 2003.
11.
TASLA volunteers and staff help over 1 million travelers each year at LAX and Union Station.
12. TASLA assists travelers to find their parties, make their connecting flight, and offers additional, special assistance by providing "travel meets" for unaccompanied elderly travelers, and travelers with disabilities.
13. TASLA volunteers and professional staff have specialized training to assist distressed and stranded travelers (crisis intervention). Last year, TASLA's network of 285 volunteers identified and referred over 325 stranded travelers at LAX and Union Station who needed additional assistance in the form of food, clothing, shelter, and/or a way home.
14. TASLA provides a support system for travelers when airlines fail to help passengers.15. Each year, TASLA assists approximately 200 individuals/families by reuniting them with their families or by relocating them to a safe place. Last year, TASLA distributed 130 Greyhound bus tickets to help over 270 people, including children, return home.
16.
17. TASLA provides transportation assistance to local appointments (medical, job interviews, shelter, and apartments).
18. TASLA provides youth a safe place where they can receive appropriate support, assistance, and resources to get off the street, stay out of jail, and avoid entry to the pornography/sex worker industry.
19. TASLA provides youth with guidance, structure, support, and mentoring.20. TASLA provides youth with a positive support system.
21.
TASLA empowers youth to be self-sufficient, to make positive changes in their lives, and to set personal goals.
22. TASLA provides youth with a trusted adult to whom they can talk.
23. TASLA employs youth to work with their peers.
24. TASLA provides outreach to homeless people, particularly homeless youth, to connect them with appropriate services. TASLA made about 350 contacts with homeless youth during outreach sessions in 2003.
25. TASLA provides basic quality of life services to youth such as food, showers, laundry, clothes, storage (lockers), and a mailing address. TASLA provided over 8900 hot meals to youth from July 2002 to June 2003. TASLA facilitated 2425 showers, 391 loads of laundry, 150 hygiene kits, 275 items of clothing, and 1043 half-hour computer sessions to youth at Teen Canteen from June 2002 to July 2003.
26.
TASLA assists domestic violence victims.
27. TASLA provides youth with a place where they can receive and make telephone calls to and from family and to search for job opportunities and apartments. 464 youth were served between July 2002 and June 2003.
28. TASLA helps youth secure personal identification to help them get a job and a stable place to live.
29. TASLA assists homeless pregnant and parenting youth to receive services.
30. TASLA educates youth about the behaviors that put them at risk and how to protect themselves from HIV, other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and pregnancy. TASLA conducted 170 risk assessments to assess the youths' risks related to the transmission of HIV/AIDS and other STDs in 2003. TASLA engaged over 133 youth to participate in at least one of 70 on-site workshops discussing behaviors that put youth at risk for HIV and other STDs and 16 people participated in squat (i.e., abandoned buildings, freeway overpasses, etc.) workshops in 2003.
TASLA facilitated an intensive four-day training seminar discussing HIV and other STDs, communication skills, drug use, and behavior change techniques for 12 homeless and runaway youth in 2003.
32. TASLA facilitated school programs to increase awareness about HIV/AIDS, other STDs, risk behaviors, and drugs and alcohol to over 240 students in 2003.
33. TASLA distributes items to reduce the epidemic of STDs and HIV. TASLA distributed 14,220 condoms, 5395 lubrications, 577 dental dams, and 101 bleach kits to individuals in an effort to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and other STDs in 2003.
34. TASLA assisted 250 youth, individuals, and families through over 600 contacts at the PATH Regional Homeless Center in 2003.
35. TASLA provides community involvement opportunities through its volunteer and advocacy programs.
36.
TASLA allocates 89% of all funding source moneys directly to service delivery.
37. TASLA is committed to continuous quality improvement and program evaluation.
38. TASLA is a 501©3 charitable organization. Donations are tax deductible and are accepted on line by credit card at www.tasla.org.
TRAVELERS AID SOCIETY OF LOS ANGELES
1507 Winona Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90027
323/644-3500
Fax 323/644-3505
E-mail: travelers@tasla.org