Community Leaders Double Down on Initiatives for Community Funding

The Make LA Whole Coalition calls on the City to direct a $300M investment to community programs and launch a permanent Community Investment Fund

LOS ANGELES, May 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ahead of tomorrow's Budget and Finance hearing, the Make LA Whole Coalition, led by Community Coalition (CoCo), SEIU 2015, InnerCity Struggle, and Brotherhood Crusade, wrote to the LA City Council requesting a permanent Community Investment Fund to support and sustain vital equity initiatives.

Following their recent requests, the Coalition is doubling down on its collective vision, demanding that the City direct a $300 million investment toward poor and working-class families in addition to a Community Investment Fund to ensure these funds remain committed to the community.

"This protected minimum funding requirement would ensure programs that support family care for all, housing security, year-round youth employment, and guaranteed basic income are funded every year," the Coalition stated. "We must lead this moment with a commitment to restore our families that continue to suffer from deep-rooted inequities in access and opportunities across Los Angeles… We invite the City to invest in what is right and reinvest dollars into the people and communities who have saved us time and time again."

The Make LA Whole Coalition asks that the City restore last year's historic $170M investment in community-based programs and invest an additional $130M to expand these essential services.

To adequately support community residents suffering from entrenched disparities, any residual funding from last year's commitment must be invested back into these initiatives, and the City must establish a permanent Community Investment Fund. This protected funding requirement would ensure the continuation of critical community programs in the future, create a vital foundation for equality, and place community-based programs on equal footing with all other City initiatives.

The Coalition's proposal centers upon uplifting women, families, and their children and urges the City to expand and sustain equitable programs with its people and communities at the cornerstone.

Please find the full letter to the City Council Committee on Budget and Finance here.

Contact: Libbie Wilcox
[email protected]

SOURCE Community Coalition