It is believed to be the first of its kind in California. Santa Monica College (SMC) students can now take classes on homelessness assistance.
According to the university, the response was enthusiastic, with about 70 people applying for 20 spots in the one-year, accredited degree program.
Lipi Simkhada is one of the teachers in a new program at Santa Monica College that teaches students how to help the homeless and get people into housing.
“I have a student who drives a bus, and she goes through Skid Row every day, and she wants to help,” Simkhada said. “Many people in our classes have experienced homelessness themselves or have family members who have experienced homelessness.”
The program’s goal is to help fill more than 1,000 jobs aimed at assisting the homeless in Los Angeles County, including case managers and field workers. Measures like HHH and H, and the recently passed Measure A, are helping to fund more housing and services, but there aren’t enough workers to meet the demand.
“I thought it was amazing that something like this was being offered,” said student Ty Harris.
“There is a lot of impactful information in the outside world that has yet to be learned,” says SMC student William Johnson. “I’m here to serve and give back in any way I can.”
Stephen Sedky, SMC’s associate dean of career education, said the one-year program also offers fieldwork courses, allowing students to get out on the streets and work with various organizations on the front lines of the city and Ann House. He said that it has become.
The Los Angeles Homeless Services Agency (LAHSA) funds this program and provides full scholarships to students.
Simcada said the students want to be part of the solution.
“They’re coming from completely different places in life, but we’re all seeing what’s happening in our city,” Simkhada said.
SMC said its next step is to spread the program to other community colleges in Southern California, and it dreams of eventually expanding the program.
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