Who We Serve

WHO WE ARE

Urban Community Outreach (www.urbancommunityoutreach.org) was founded in 2006 and incorporated in 2008 to give a home to two successful programs that had previously been housed by the First Congregational Church—the Downtown Associated Youth Service (DAYS), founded in 1970, and the Sunday Drop-In Center (DIC) for homeless individuals and families, founded in 2006. Both programs had operated successfully under the auspices of the First Congregation Church at the corner of 3rd and Cedar until moving under the UCO umbrella. UCO has an 8 member board of directors, a mission rooted in compassionate service to those most in need, and a determination to successfully expand its two core programs. The organization’s mission is: To advance the interests and to promote the welfare of children, the economically disadvantaged and homeless people in downtown Long Beach.

WHERE WE SERVE

UCO serves two distinct subsets of the population in downtown Long Beach—underserved children and youth, and the homeless. DAYS serves 150 children and youth each year from poverty stricken and/or working poor families where academic achievement is a rarity—placing children at a distinct
disadvantage in terms of educational success. According to the City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services, there are 1,755 homeless people on the streets every Sunday. The DIC serves nearly 22% of these individuals, providing meals to 350-400 homeless men, women and children each week. A compilation of studies from 2003 yielded the following demographic information for Long Beach’s homeless: 46% African American, 16% Latino, 29% white, 3% Asian/Pacific Islander, 3% Native American and 3% other1. As is the case in cities across the nation, an estimated 25% of the homeless in Long Beach are disabled and 20% are domestic violence victims2. Veterans are twice as likely to be homeless as non veterans and the incidence of mental illness and substance abuse is significantly higher than in the community at large.

UCO’s programs are concentrated in the inner-city area surrounding the First Congregational Church in Long Beach--one of the most ethnically and socioeconomically diverse cities in the nation. This area, primarily comprised of zip codes 90813 and 90802, is one of Long Beach’s poorest neighborhoods and has the highest concentration of homeless in the city. Families living in the neighborhood are dealing with depressed income levels, overcrowded housing, and gang and narcotic problems. The ethnic background in the 90802 zip code is 74% Hispanic, 12% African American, 6% Caucasian, 3% Native American and 5% Asian; and the median income is the second lowest in the city at $25,860. In the 90813 zip code the ethnic background of the population is 38% Hispanic, 14% African-American, 25% Caucasian, 17% Asian/Pacific Islander, 1% Native American, and 5% bi-racial. The City of Long Beach reports that these areas have the highest crime rates and unemployment numbers and the lowest levels of education in the city. U.S. Census Bureau statistics reflect that over 45% of the families in 90802 and 44% of the families in 90813 live below the poverty line - making Long Beach the third worst city in the United States for child poverty.