01675 meals / week
Street Kitchen
Hot meals served seven nights a week from our mobile kitchen across Skid Row, South LA, and MacArthur Park. Every meal costs just $4.00.
Support this programInner-city Los Angeles · Est. 2025A warm meal. A safe bed.
A warm meal. A safe bed.
A neighbor, not a number.
Hands Helping Friends LA walks the streets of inner-city Los Angeles every day — providing shelter, serving daily hot meals, and offering wound care to unhoused Angelenos as they rebuild.
Our Mission
Friendship is the first intervention.
Hands Helping Friends Los Angeles, established in 2025, is dedicated to combating homelessness in the Greater Los Angeles Area, with a particular focus on inner-city Los Angeles.
Our mission is to provide essential services to the homeless population, including shelter, daily hot meals, and wound care when necessary. We are committed to restoring dignity, stability, and hope to individuals and families facing homelessness.
Every plate of food, every safe bed, every bandage begins with someone learning your name. Nobody walks alone.
The Crisis in Los Angeles · 2026
Behind every number is a name we should know.
Los Angeles County still has the largest unsheltered population of any U.S. city. The latest count shows progress — and the scale of work that remains.
0
Angelenos experiencing homelessness on any given night
↓ 5.4% vs. 2024
LAHSA 2026 Point-in-Time Count
0%
of LA County's unhoused population remain unsheltered
↓ from 46% in 2024
LAHSA 2026
0
neighbors moved into permanent housing countywide last year
↑ 11% year-over-year
LAHSA Housing Outcomes, 2026
1 in 3
are seniors over 55 — the fastest-growing unhoused group
+28% since 2020
LA County Public Health, 2026
What we do
Four programs. One promise.
0235 beds nightly
Bridge Shelter
35 beds with case management, showers, laundry, wound care when necessary, and a path toward permanent housing.
Support this program0312 navigators
Outreach & Recovery
Trained peer navigators connect neighbors to detox, mental health care, case management, and reunification with family.
Support this program04180 children served
Kids & Family Center
After-school meals, clothing, and tutoring for children of families living in shelters or vehicles.
Support this program
Stories from the block
The work, in photographs.
A year on the sidewalks of inner-city Los Angeles, captured by our volunteer photographers.
"They learned my name on the first night. That's when I started believing I could come back."
Client Application
Start your intake.
Download, complete, and bring both documents to your first meeting with our intake team. Word (.docx) is editable on your phone or computer; PDF is print-ready.
Need help filling these out? Call us at 213-414-1126 and a case manager will walk you through it.
- Required
Client Intake Application
Full intake form covering personal, medical, behavioral, benefits, housing, and program-entry information. Complete before your intake appointment.
- Required
Rules & Regulations
Program rules every client must read, sign, and follow. Failure to adhere will result in being asked to leave the program.
Get InvolvedEvery dollar.
Every dollar.
Every hour.
Every hand.
We are 100% community-funded. Your gift goes directly to meals, beds, and navigators on the street tonight.
- $4
- 1 hot meal
- $45
- 1 night sheltered
- $250
- 1 week of care
Community ResourcesHelp is one
Help is one
phone call away.
If you or someone you know needs immediate support, these LA County helplines are free, confidential, and available around the clock.
LA County 211
Dial 21124/7 health, housing & social services info
LA County 311
Dial 311City services, non-emergency help & information
HUD Los Angeles Field Office
213-894-8000Federal housing resources, fair housing & rental assistance
General Relief — DTLA Civic Center
866-613-3777Cash aid for adults with no income. 813 E 4th Pl, LA 90013
CalFresh / SNAP LA County
866-613-3777Food benefits (EBT) for low-income households
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Dial 988Free, confidential mental health support
LAHSA Homeless Outreach
213-225-6581Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority
DMH ACCESS (Mental Health)
800-854-7771LA County Dept. of Mental Health, 24/7
Domestic Violence Hotline
800-978-3600LA County DV Hotline, 24/7 multilingual
Veterans Crisis Line
Dial 988, press 1Confidential support for veterans & families
Child Abuse Hotline
800-540-4000LA County DCFS, 24/7
Senior Abuse / APS
877-477-3646Adult Protective Services, 24/7
Food Banks
Find a meal across Los Angeles.
A live map of food banks and pantries serving the Greater LA area. Tap any location below for directions, hours, and contact info on Google Maps.
Open full map on Google Maps →- Los Angeles Regional Food BankCitywide HQ — 1734 E 41st StMap →
- Westside Food BankSanta Monica / WestsideMap →
- SOVA Community Food & Resource ProgramWest LA / ValleyMap →
- Hope of the Valley Food PantrySan Fernando ValleyMap →
- Midnight Mission Food ServicesSkid Row / DowntownMap →
- Union Rescue MissionSkid Row / DowntownMap →
Map data © Google. Hours and availability change — please call ahead.
Map data © Google. In an emergency, call 911. For non-emergency care, call ahead to confirm eligibility and hours.
Medical Centers
Free & low-cost care nearby.
Community clinics and county hospitals across LA that serve unhoused neighbors regardless of insurance or ability to pay. Tap any location for directions and contact info.
Open full map on Google Maps →- JWCH Center for Community Health (Skid Row)Downtown / Skid Row — free & low-cost careMap →
- LA Christian Health Centers — Joshua HouseSkid Row — homeless health clinicMap →
- LAC+USC Medical CenterBoyle Heights — county hospital, 24/7 ERMap →
- MLK Jr. Outpatient CenterSouth LA — sliding-scale clinicMap →
- St. John's Community Health — South LASouth LA — free homeless careMap →
- Saban Community ClinicHollywood — sliding-scale primary careMap →
- Venice Family ClinicWestside — free & low-cost careMap →
- Harbor-UCLA Medical CenterSouth Bay — county hospital, 24/7 ERMap →
