23 Mar CoCo Hosts Its First Open House of the 2023
By ABIGAIL MUNGUIA
CoCo Comms Contributor
Community Coalition is proud to be part of an empowered community that consistently voices its concerns and partakes in societal change. Last Saturday, over 100 community members participated in CoCo’s resource fair and open house for South LA. The event, which will occur monthly, responds to the disinvestment and lack of resources in our neighborhoods. It was also an introduction for some of our neighbors who still needed to have the opportunity to engage in our space.
Residents were presented with a tour by CoCo members who talked about the history of Community Coalition and how South LA community members currently utilize our offices. Participants toured the building, which includes the People’s Hall, the resource center, and our beautiful kitchen space, which is the heart of CoCo’s home–all while getting a glimpse of our history through the historical pictures on our walls that detail our work with Black and Brown community members.
South Los Angeles has historically been deprived of the most essential resources because of systemic and racial barriers. The Covid-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted Black and Brown communities as they experienced increased food insecurity and housing instability. Our communities received inadequate resources and support to survive the pandemic. And repairing the damage from the pandemic has not been easy for our South Central LA community.
As a result, CoCo collaborated with providers to highlight the resources available to residents. Despite the recent rain, the weather cooperated, and it was a perfect day for our outdoor resources fair. CoCo staff and volunteers registered residents while others assisted visitors with the building tours, which were given in both English and Spanish.
After the tours, community members entered the CoCo parking lot, where they listened and danced to a diverse playlist of music and could access the service providers. In addition, participants had the opportunity to engage with our partners, who provided resources on housing services, health and wellness, Covid-19 information, legal services, drug prevention, and food distribution. There were also activities for our youth and adolescents.
Thank you to our partners for providing timely resources to those that attended:
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