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A century of hope: How one of L.A.'s oldest charities has survived and evolved
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St. Anne's isn't your ordinary charity. The organization has seen four states added to our 50-state union, survived two world wars, the stock market crash of 1929 and witnessed 24 U.S. presidents take the oath of office.
Not bad for an organization that started out as a hiding place for pregnant, unwed young women to have their babies in secret.
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The year was 1908. St. Anne's first opened its doors as a maternity home where young women could conceal their pregnancies from the community and their families - a time when women were ostracized from the community for such shameful acts of passion.These women were not necessarily poor and underprivileged. Many of them came from wealthy, upper-crust families who needed to shield the family's reputation and good name.
St. Anne's was literally a haven for such women and a place that prided itself on the celebration of mother and child - the heartbeat of the organization for more than one hundred years.
While St. Anne's core mission has not changed, its programs and clients have, proving how important it is for organizations to adapt to the needs of communities they serve.
Located in the Rampart/Echo Park area of Los Angeles, St. Anne's has evolved into one of Southern California's most highly regarded social service agencies. Through an impressive array of programs and in concert with other agencies, the organization confronts the issues of teen pregnancy and parenting, ultimately strengthening families to become self-sufficient and independent.
From those early beginnings as a maternity home for unwed mothers, St. Anne's broadened its services to address the special needs of at-risk, pregnant and/or parenting young women and children in the child welfare system. As incidents of physical, sexual and emotional abuse, and homelessness among adolescents increased in the community, St. Anne's kept evolving and positioned itself to meet those needs.
Today the organization serves low-income families of color, many of whom are first generation immigrants who don't speak English and can't afford child-care.
"We consistently kept looking for where the gaps were in available options so we could stay a step ahead of the community's needs," said Christine Hardy, a communications manager for the organization.
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There's still a group home and girls are still having babies, but it is the complete circle of available and individualized services that are really making a difference in the community with an effective cluster of programs like transitional housing, mental health, child-care, family literacy, family preservation, and educational and vocational preparation.According to Hardy, oftentimes children have been removed from the home or are coming back into the home, so circumstances determine how to best serve the family.
"Our flexible whatever-it-takes approach is the reason our family-based service programs for at-risk families works," said Hardy. "Whatever they need - mental health services, family literacy, day care, food or beds - we're going to do whatever it takes to meet the need."
Hardy's robust attitude is reflective of the organization's successful community presence and why the agency continues to forge ahead in identifying gaps in the area it serves.
One such gap is available child-care. St. Anne's on-site day care center has 126 spots, all of which are filled throughout the year. Yet the greatest need is for infant day care and there can be a waiting list of as many as 20 families at any given time..jpg)
"Working parents, especially those living at or below the poverty line, need safe, accessible options for child-care. We know there is more to be done in this area," Hardy said.
Like many nonprofits that depend upon state funding, St. Anne's is bracing itself for a tough year in 2010 when the pinch of this year's cutbacks will be felt. One way they are trying to make up for the loss is through their conference center - a large venue that can be rented out at significantly cheaper rates than similar venues. Both nonprofit and for-profit sectors can hold meetings and events in a modern facility, and any profits go directly back to operational expenses of the agency's programs.
No, this is not your ordinary charity and these are not ordinary times. But this is an organization that has seen hard times before.
If hope springs eternal, then odds are that St. Anne's will survive the next hundred years.
For more info: St. Anne's, 155 N. Occidental Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90026, Phone (213) 381-2931
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