Los Angeles Impact 2022
Supporting Homeless Communities Across Los Angeles — With a Focus on Women’s Needs
Los Angeles, California, United States
On Tuesday, June 28, 2022, Presidio Education® faculty led a team to Southern California for the LA Impact Project 2022, in collaboration with Mary Liu, a high school student and our Sustainability Team’s Gender Equity Leader. Mary was seeking ways to strengthen her college admissions portfolio, and after recognizing a gap in her community involvement, Presidio Education® strongly encouraged her to engage in an impact project that would help those in need. Through this guidance, Mary chose to focus on supporting homeless women in Los Angeles, an issue that was unfamiliar to her but one that she was eager to address.
Presidio Education® funded the project and played an active role in guiding Mary through the planning and execution. The team assisted in organizing inventory, researching locations of need, and developing a clear logistics plan. Over 300 bras, 1,200 feminine hygiene pads, 1,000 masks, hand sanitizers, clean shirts, snacks, and bottled water were collected and distributed directly to homeless women in need. Key locations such as Skid Row, Venice Beach, Veteran’s Row, and Hollywood Boulevard were identified as the primary areas of distribution.
Homeless women face unique and often life-threatening challenges, including vulnerability to physical abuse and exploitation. This project aimed to provide not only basic necessities but also to show these women that they are seen and cared for by the community.
If you would like to get involved or create your own project to help homeless women or other underserved communities, please contact our Sustainability Team. Together, we can make a lasting difference.
A Story from Mary Liu
Presidio Education® Gender Equality Leader
Empowering Homeless Women with Care and Compassion
As a high school student working to build her college portfolio, Mary Liu embarked on a transformative journey to make a lasting impact on her community. Driven by her desire to help those in need, Mary chose to focus her efforts on homeless women in Los Angeles—an often overlooked and vulnerable population. With guidance and support from Presidio Education®, Mary learned the importance of research, planning, and collaboration in creating a meaningful project. This initiative not only gave Mary the opportunity to contribute to her community, but it also taught her valuable lessons about gender equity, social responsibility, and the power of empathy. Through this experience, she developed a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by homeless women, and worked with the Presidio faculty to provide them with essential supplies and care.
Los Angeles Impact Initiative: Supporting Homeless Women
A Leadership Experience for Mary Liu, Guided by Presidio Education®
The pandemic has put individuals and families at an increased risk of falling into poverty. As the unemployment rate rises, the homeless population increases. Specifically, unemployment has disproportionately affected women. Homeless people are some of the most extreme examples of poverty and social exclusion. Women in this situation are especially vulnerable to discrimination, marginalization, human trafficking, and sexual abuse.
I told Ryan Young, Presidio Education® Founder & CEO, that I wanted to create an impact project that helps women specifically and he right away agreed after I showed him the proposal. Ryan offered to fund my impact project to help homeless women across Los Angeles.
Most people donate clothes, shoes, and food to the homeless. However, I wanted to give out pads and bras, among other supplies, because homeless women have very limited access to feminine products. Homeless women face unique challenges managing their menstruation while living on the street. Many women struggle to maintain personal hygiene and experience menstrual shame. I wanted to provide homeless women with the basic resources needed to feel clean and secure during their menstrual cycles.
Learning Through Action and Research
Understanding Ethical Sourcing and Attention to Detail
I learned from researching supplies and gathering inventory that it is really important to pay attention to the details and complete thorough research before buying supplies. For example, I was going to source some of the supplies from Walmart, but Ryan explained Walmart’s long history of discriminating against female employees. Therefore, sourcing products from vendors that struggle to instill gender equity among their own employees would undermine the very ethics of my project to help women.
Engaging with Homeless Women: A Deeply Personal Experience
Understanding the Vulnerability of Homeless Women
Most of the homeless women were really polite and thankful when we gave out the supplies to them. I felt happy when we helped the homeless women and want to continue helping them.
There was one homeless woman that came to my attention because after we gave the supplies to her, she immediately took out everything in the bag and tried to stuff everything inside her underwear. Homeless women have to hide what they have in order to survive and not get robbed by other homeless individuals, which shows women’s vulnerability to abuse.
Identifying Key Locations to Help Homeless Women
Team Collaboration and Problem-Solving in the Field
I planned our itinerary for Skid Row, Venice Beach and Veterans Row. My research indicated that these areas would have the highest concentration of homeless women. After driving to all three areas and handing out drawstring bags filled with supplies for homeless women, we still had about 30 bags left. It was really important that we search harder to locate more homeless women, who appeared to be displaced in other unfamiliar areas. Isaac Ng, Sustainability Team, suggested that we drive to Hollywood where he had seen many homeless people before. I really appreciated Ryan and Isaac’s teamwork. During the project, they had no complaints and worked really hard to make this project possible. After leading the whole project, I learned that it is really important to stay organized and have backup plans.
Understanding the Vulnerability of Homeless Women
The Impact of Gender Inequality on Homelessness
Gender, just like age, ethnicity and geographical location, are all factors that influence poverty and increase women’s vulnerability. Sexism across society limits the opportunities available to women and homeless women. Homeless women are less likely to get access to public social assistance and resources given to the overall homeless population. Moreover, homeless women are highly exposed to potential crime and violence. The streets are dominated by homeless men, making women a minority group vulnerable to sexual assault and violent victimization.
Society has fixed standards and norms that define masculine and feminine identities and gender roles, and people’s lives are shaped in relation to them. To find a way out of patriarchy, it is crucial to understand the relationships of patriarchy and gender.
A Few Words from Ryan Young
Presidio Education® Founder & CEO (English Teacher)
At Presidio Education®, we always encourage students to give back to their communities—especially to those who are suffering, isolated, or marginalized. While our Impact Projects help students better understand critical sustainability issues, they also provide a unique opportunity to develop essential life skills. Through meaningful volunteer work, students learn the importance of teamwork, communication, initiative, and real-world problem-solving—skills that will serve them well in both academic and professional settings.
More importantly, service work cultivates empathy. Now more than ever, we must inspire students to care deeply about those in need, including the homeless, abused, and overlooked. Students are the future. They must become leaders who not only chase excellence but also take responsibility for solving society’s most difficult challenges. In an era marked by rising inequality and growing division, it is essential that young people develop a strong moral compass and a sense of civic duty.
Academic achievement is important, but life is not just about personal success. As educators, our mission is to remind—and sometimes challenge—students to look beyond themselves. We guide them to become thoughtful, ethical leaders who give back to the communities that helped shape them. No one should ever be left behind.
A Few Words from Isaac Ng
Presidio Education® Sustainability Team
Social issues and sustainability issues are some of the biggest problems that our society has ever faced. Poverty and homelessness are worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic and recent global conflicts. It is everyone’s responsibility to help solve these problems because they are affecting everyone. I think the best way to understand homeless people and their problems is to see them firsthand. People will realize that the homeless are just like us but need our help to get back on track.
I have seen a lot of homeless people in Los Angeles before. I am glad to be able to participate in this event to help them. Many homeless women that we helped had regular clothing and appearances. Most of the homeless women were polite and thankful when we gave them the supplies. I felt like they all deserved to have a place to live. Homeless women are some of the most vulnerable groups of people in this community and I felt grateful to be able to provide them with basic supplies.