Center Helps Indians Adjust to New Lives in Los Angeles

More than 200 years of painful experiences have engendered a mistrust of government agencies among American Indians, who have gravitated to Los Angeles more than any other U.S. urban center.

John Castillo is assistant executive director of the Southern California Indian Center, a nonprofit organization that serves as a conduit between the nation’s largest urban Indian population and government social agencies.

“Indians won’t go to government offices, but they’ll come to us,” said Castillo, whose organization is staffed primarily by Indians.

With a budget of more than $3 million, provided mainly by federal, state and local government grants, the organization’s 40-member staff provides educational counseling, job training and housing assistance to about 10,000 American Indians and ethnic Alaskans and Hawaiians each year.

Much Poverty and Unemployment

According to the 1980 U.S. Census, about 100,000 American Indians live in Los Angeles and Orange counties. The Los Angeles County Community Development Department estimates that 75% of the Indian population is below the poverty level. More than 40% are unemployed.

Castillo said more than 300 tribes are represented in the area and predicted that the 1990 census will show that the overall population has grown substantially as more young Indians have moved from rural areas and reservations.

For the most part, this group is not emotionally or economically prepared for the rigorous competition of urban residency, organization officials said.

To meet the growing need, the SCIC, which Castillo said was founded in 1968 “by a group of people who used a garage for meetings,” opened its fifth regional office last month.

Help in Mastering Skills

The North Hollywood office is designed to meet the needs of the 10,000-plus American Indians in the San Fernando Valley. The organization’s other offices are in Carson, Commerce, Garden Grove and Los Angeles.

“Our primary responsibility is to assist the unemployed and underemployed,” Castillo said.

“If they have marketable skills, we develop them. If they don’t, we provide referrals for classroom training or work experience.”

The center also provides a variety of programs for senior citizens, including counseling, transportation and arts and crafts activities. Emergency housing and food are also made available.

Much Food Disbursed

“We give out about 5,000 tons of food a month, and about 600 food baskets during Christmas season,” Castillo said.

The average age of American Indians is less than 18, Castillo said. The goal of his organization, he said, is to “foster an atmosphere in which we can help American Indians work toward economic and social self-sufficiency.”