MAKING A DIFFERENCE : One Skid Row Agency’s approach: Generate income and self-expression

Of the estimated 13,000 men, women and children who live in the 50-block area east of downtown Los Angeles known as Skid Row, approximately 70% are unemployed. Skid Row Access, founded in 1991 by Skid Row men and women and an architect who worked in the area, offers residents an opportunity to develop skills that enable them to design, produce and sell their own creative items. In the past 18 months, 475 area residents have participated in programs that offer art and business-skills instruction as well as access to studios, tools, production equipment, supplies and storage space. Participants make hand-crafted toys, jewelry, greeting cards and other art items.

ONE PARTICIPANT’S EXPERIENCE

I live at 5th and Main, the Pershing Hotel. I moved here from Houston in 1989 after I was laid off.

I met Chuck (McClain) at a residential hotel and a few artists just happened to live in that hotel. We started meeting there, and it happened that I had a 10-foot by 10-foot storage space with my toy-making tools. We started off talking, for six months meeting with artists. Then we said, enough with all this talking and meeting, let’s start something. So we started in that space building a few toys. We went out to different shows, started selling, so we said, let’s just keep it going.

There are welders, plumbers, carpenters (on Skid Row) and a lot of them are homeless and they have skills that could be used.

The city and a lot of people spend millions of dollars for housing and serving meals instead of retraining people or forming organizations that can use all that talent and skill.

If you go to a mission or some other service, you know that you don’t run anything. You walk in and you’re told what to do, what services are provided and that’s it. Here it takes a while for it to sink in that this is my business, my organization, my art.

--Raymond Brown

Draftsman, woodcarver and Skid Row Access co-founder

AT ISSUE

Skid Row Access keeps 33% of each item’s sale. In the art field this split is generous, but we get questions about it. We answer in a couple of different ways. Because we’re an organization that’s run by and directed by individuals who live in this low-income community, we’d much rather be the ones controlling our destiny as opposed to having to go out and get grants and jump through the hoops of funders.

(This is) more like a culture of a small business than a culture of a non-profit social service agency where, from the participants’ viewpoint, they stand in line and get things for free most of the time. We (share) monthly income and expense statements--postage for mailings, supplies, rent, insurance costs. (We do this) because it’s an opportunity to answer questions, but it’s also an opportunity to show people the workings of a business.

--Charles McClain

Architect and co-founder of Skid Row Access, the organization’s only member who doesn’t live in the Skid Row area

DEMOGRAPHICS AND RESULTS

Ethnic and racial distribution of 475 participants:

African-American: 70%

Anglo: 20%

Other: 10%

Distribution by gender:

Male: 60%

Female: 40%

Number of income-earning participants and their average monthly income per participant from sale of art items

1991: 2; $215

1992: 4; $320

1993: 8; $760

Source: Skid Row Access

PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES

Arts and Creative Products Workshops

Offers weekly arts classes taught by and for community residents. Participants may learn woodworking and carving, linoleum and woodblock printing, greeting card design, T-shirt decorating, drawing, portraiture, sculpture and painting.

Entrepreneur and Artist Support

Teaches fledgling entrepreneurs and artists about material purchasing, inventory management, product pricing, marketing and client development. Provides studio and storage space, equipment and supplies. Participants establish project goals and meet weekly or monthly with trainers to review and modify performance objectives. 67% of sales revenue of each item is paid to the artist, 33% returns to Skid Row Access.

Sales and Exhibition

Coordinates exhibits and sales of items; publishes catalog of items. Help Skid Row Access participants to attend exhibitions and sell their own work. Last year Skid Row Access exhibited at 12 locations around Southern California; this year organizers expect to exhibit work at 20 sites.

TO GET INVOLVED

For information about Skid Row Access volunteer and support opportunities or to receive a Skid Row Access product catalog call (213) 624-1773 or Fax (213) 624-1849.