Leg Up First! "Working towards ending home insecurity"
A non-profit dedicated to helping the Homeless
Leg Up First! "Working towards ending home insecurity"
A non-profit dedicated to helping the Homeless
Welcome!
Leg Up First is a 501 (C) (3) nonprofit corporation. Through grass-roots organizing and matching philanthropists with non profit organizations, we provide opportunities to families, seniors, and individuals to elevate the socioeconomic status of the people living in our Homeless communities.
"Lending a hand to people in-between homes"
Sometimes, families facing housing challenges and food insecurity are are a few kind acts away from a better life. Leg Up First puts opportunities within reach.
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What We Do...
Step 1: Community outreach
Every living organism on this planet from worms to bees, to people and the giant trees, all have the same basic needs.
The 4 Basic needs for survival
- FOOD - without it you have no energy to do work.
- WATER - Clean, drinkable water - Humans can survive only three to five days without water.
- SHELTER - Death from "exposure" (freezing or excessive heat) results without it.
- SPACE - All organisms need space to grow and survive.
It all begins with food and water. Next is the building of relationships with clients willing and able to begin the return journey towards financial independence.
Step 2: Determination of the community’s most basic needs.
Food insecurity is a sweeping problem for millions of American families and young adults. This includes families with stable households, those in-between homes, and those who faced eviction as a direct result of the Covid - 19 pandemic. For many it is hard to envision anything past the struggle to find food and water each day. Basic needs vary within different communities. Basic needs for individuals also varies on a case to case basis. For some it may be computer access to submit a job application or access to showers. For others it may be a tank full of gas to be able to get to work (yes, there are homeless people that have jobs trying desperately to keep them). Others may need a Leg Up with rent money or a little more for a security deposit.
Step 3: Search for possible solutions to the problem/ Distribution of Resources
Through coordination and communication with other organizations, Leg Up First facilitates the pooling of resources to effectively and efficiently distribute supplies to the communities most in need. We work solely with organizations that share the same core principles and ethical commitment. Leg UP First works tirelessly to facilitate equity, racial, social and economic justice for all of our underserved communities.
Step 4: Recruitment of community stewards.
For people that have never experienced life without a stable home, it can be difficult to comprehend the adversity our homeless populations face each day. The community does best when the help comes from within. Leg Up First seeks out candidates living within the homeless community to work as stewards for their own neighborhood community. The objective always being to raise the baseline living conditions of the individuals and families living in the community. The road to employment, independence and homefulness (my word) begins with small steps. Finding solutions to the many challenges involves more than simply providing housing for families. Although this is the ultimate end-game to eradicating homelessness (by definition), assisting those in-between/ homes has proven to be very difficult for homeless advocates and government entities alike. The answer is not simply to build housing units and open hotels to our homeless communities. It begins with relationships, a helping hand and...
people need a Leg Up First!
Step 5: Is the solution effective? Provide access to job training.
FOCUS ON THE YOUTH! Through coordination with other like-minded organizations, members of the Leg Up First workforce will be directed towards further employment opportunities, job training, and access to affordable housing.
