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Project EDUCATE’s vision is to transform hopelessness into purpose, desperation into motivation, and feelings of defeat into those of empowerment.
An LA-based nonprofit, Project EDUCATE aims to eliminate homelessness and reduce its dehumanizing effects by providing essential services ranging from health care and economic stimulants to personal and intellectual development.
Project EDUCATE intends to bring change across LA County and surrounding areas, but mainly serves the Skid Row community — assisting men, women and children of all racial, cultural, religious and sexual backgrounds.
“I just think it’s important for people to know that there are a lot of myths about some homelessness, and what homelessness looked like 10 years ago is completely different from what it looks like today,” said CEO and founder LaTanya Sherman, a 16-year Playa Vista resident.
“And by that I mean the demographics of the type of individuals who are becoming homeless — because it’s no longer people who were down on their luck or who didn’t go to school, are out of jail. I mean, these are people who were like doctors, lawyers, educators. It’s different, and I think people should be educated about it.”
Tailored programming,
resources
Sherman founded Project EDUCATE in 2018 when noticing a large population of homeless people in Skid Row that was spreading to other parts of LA.
“In order to make an impact, we didn’t want to do what everyone else was doing, which was (provide) housing and food and primarily clothing,” she said. “So we started going into Skid Row, literally popping up, talking to the homeless people, getting their perspective on what they needed.”
What she found was a need for health, wellness and social services.
As a result, Project EDUCATE provides resources that offer temporary, but immediate relief and programs that assist with the transition to safe environments, healthy life choices and a healthier way of living — all to prevent suffering and improve the quality of life for those experiencing homelessness.
The organization features five flagship programs that are each customized to serve a specific need of those in the homeless community.
Its primary program is FED, which is an abbreviation for “fitness, education, diet.” In contrast to many other nonprofits that simply center on food insecurity, Project EDUCATE focuses on nutrition.
“It consists of a one-hour class that coordinates and teaches and inspires them to eat healthier, and we kind of make the correlation of what you eat also determines how you feel,” Sherman said.
“So the slogan for that is ‘teaching people how to live in spite of where they live.’ … So although you may not be sleeping in the best circumstances, you can still preserve yourself with self-care. And just because you’re homeless doesn’t mean that that mental health aspect does not matter. We try to pour that in.”
She added that these teachings tie into two of the organization’s annual events: a Black History & Heart Health Month event in February and the Health & Wellness Resource Fair the last Saturday in September.
“Then we have TAG, which is ‘toiletries and grooming,’” Sherman said. “That’s really designated for those who are sleeping in tents. That’s primarily putting hygiene (items) together in kits to deliver to those in tents. And, of course, we also get hygiene kits out doing our other events.”
Project EDUCATE also has BLOOM — “bringing love, optimism and opportunities to moms” — an annual event advocating for women and their wellness that features workshops and talks about health, safety, beauty and other topics.
The program HOPE, “helping others pursue education,” provides information about available educational opportunities while offering workshops that teach sustainable skills, such as investing and cooking.
Lastly, its SWAP (“social wellness action plan”) program focuses on hosting its events and activities, highlighting the humanity of the homeless population.
“In general, from the events that we do in Skid Row, the feedback is … kind of one of those things you really need to be there to actually see it,” Sherman said. “Because the level of gratitude that is expressed from the homeless individuals who we serve is always, ‘Thank you,’ ‘We’re grateful,’ ‘We can’t wait to see you again.’”
The organization’s upcoming event — with the holiday season kicking into gear — is a toy drive from Monday, Dec. 4, through Sunday, Dec. 17. Project EDUCATE will collaborate with Concordia Lutheran Church to distribute the toys in a drive-by giveaway from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 23, at 3600 W. Imperial Highway in Inglewood.
“We’ll also be going down to Skid Row on Christmas Eve to deliver toys to homeless kids,” Sherman added.
The team behind the project
What Sherman feels sets Project EDUCATE apart from other nonprofit organizations is its identity as a true charity.
Aside from five to six homeless Skid Row individuals who receive compensation for supporting Project EDUCATE at its events, the organization is fully powered by volunteer work. Sherman and her board work tirelessly to ensure that everything that comes in goes right back to benefiting the community.
“It takes a vision to make a difference, and we are lucky and blessed that we do have a board of diverse people, diverse ideals, bringing solutions to the table that really matter,” she said.
Sherman — born and raised in Compton — received a bachelor’s degree from Loyola Marymount University as well as a master’s in behavioral science from CSU Dominguez Hills. She currently works full time in the financial industry.
For her, Project EDUCATE is an opportunity to give back.
“I think, statistically speaking, me being an African American woman, looking at the statistics of homelessness, knowing that in Los Angeles County, African Americans make up about 9% of the population, but they’re about 40% of that homeless population. And out of that homeless population, there’s about 30% of women, women with children who are also a part of that population,” Sherman said.
“So being a woman and actually experiencing homelessness myself once for a very short period of time, having that in my background and just being in a position to give back, it was just placed on my heart to do this, and I’ve been doing it ever since.”
Those who would like to contribute to Project EDUCATE’s cause can donate online or volunteer their time to the organization.
Project EDUCATE
13151 Fountain Park Drive, Suite 202, Los Angeles
424-209-2580, info@4projecteducate.org, www.4projecteducate.org
Can be found on Instagram @4projecteducate and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/4projecteducate.
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