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Watts Labor Community Action Committee (WLCAC) is an antipoverty agency based in South Central Los Angeles, CA. WLCAC focuses on cultural programming, community development, and social services. They strive to end the general cycle of poverty and bring up the quality of life for those affected negatively by poverty.

Foundation
The WLCAC was formed in 1965 under Ted Watkins, Sr in a neighborhood of Los Angeles, CA named Watts. A few months prior Watts Rebellion (1965), Watkins had organized and founded WLCAC. His reason for founding WLCAC was to improve the quality of life in Watts. Watkins said, “I feel like what caused the rebellion was the complete exhaustion of people’s patience with being suppressed and contained by very, very aggressive enforcement tactics by the LAPD”. Los Angeles County had failed to establish an antipoverty agency, making WLCAC a first of its kind in the area. Watkins (who was a longtime member of the UAW ) was aided in his leadership by a representative from the United Automobile Workers (UAW) and started to receive funding from local, state, and federal agencies as well as private organizations, namely the Ford Foundation. After Watts Rebellion (1965), WLCAC worked hard to repair the broken down neighborhood Watts, Los Angeles. Using volunteer staff members, WLCAC created employment training programs and began rebuilding neighborhoods using the funds at hand.

Expansion
In 1966 WLCAC opened up Watts Credit Union, which assisted many people of the neighborhood in getting loans. Before the credit union, residents of Watts had to go to other areas to obtain loans, where most weren’t able to get loans approved. In addition to a credit union, WLCAC provided customer services, elderly services, job training & after-school programs while also building low income housing and established farms, stores, & community centers. Watkins directed the creation of vest-pocket parks out of vacant lots and WLCAC is responsible for the planting of over 20,000 trees.

Early after they were founded, WLCAC began campaigning the county of Los Angeles to build a hospital that would aid Watts, Willowbrook, and Compton. The overall goal of WLCAC can be seen from the beginning; in order to combat poverty, they needed to give aid to the poorest of places. WLCAC worked with more than eighty organizations and had hundreds of volunteers in order to get the hospital on the upcoming ballot (1966). The hospital plan passed and construction began in 1968.

Unemployment was one of the biggest problem in Watts (and surrounding areas), if not the biggest. WLCAC got support from American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) unions and grants from the Department of Labor for the sake of creating new employment training and placement programs. WLCAC created a new educational, job training, and placement program called Community Conservation Corps, which served 1,700 black youths. WLCAC made room for their operation by buying several vacant lots in Watts where the youths would work in ways that would help the community. The youths built parks, a senior citizen center, classrooms, and a farm. WLCAC owned a Mobil gas station where the youths would be trained as mechanics and gas attendants. The more that WLCAC got the youths employed, the less they wanted to commit crimes; finding or creating jobs for the citizens of Watts helped bring up the quality of life in the area.

In the early 1970s, the WLCAC became a Community Development Corporation (CDC), enabling them to more effectively combat poverty and unemployment issues. As a CDC, the WLCAC was focused on community control. Since the credit union was already up and running, the WLCAC established a community owned and operated service stations, poultry farms, grocery stores, laundromats, furniture & appliance shops, and food stamp centers. Watkins worked hard to bring medical services to Watts, and in 1972, with the aid of many others, the Martin Luther King Jr. Medical Center was built. The WLCAC also provided more than ten different apartment complexes in Watts. In just a few short years, Watkins had aided thousands of lower class citizens and laid a foundation for generations to come.

1992 LA Riots
In the early 1980’s, Watkins was concerned that the community was being impoverished and would cause another riot to occur. His concerns were justified, because the 1992 Los Angeles Riots happened (for a variety of reasons) causing large amounts of damage. During the chaos of the riots, the WLCAC’s shopping center was looted and its main headquarters were burned down. Leaders of the WLCAC were not on top of the increasing Latinization of LA, which may not have helped the situation as Mexican youths were suspected of burning the headquarters down. After this tragedy, the WLCAC focused on building a good reputation with its fellow Latino citizens. The WLCAC was rebuilt just one year after the riots.

Current
The WLCAC center was destroyed in both 1965 and 1992. The center was remade into a social and cultural center which features activities, art, etc. Since then, the WLCAC has grown bigger than ever and is working hard to eliminate or reduce poverty in the poorer areas of Los Angeles, California. They started helping just a few citizens at a time, but now have become an iconic group in the war on poverty.

Community Development
Property Management The WLCAC currently has control of over 600 commercial properties, business ventures, and housing units in South Central Los Angeles. Being a nonprofit, all the money obtained is used to expand their operations. This creates jobs for locals.

McCoy Villa Dolores McCoy Villa I is a unit housing complex managed by the WLCAC, which offers housing for formerly incarcerated and homeless individuals, along with their families. This housing is designed with ways to ensure their guests become independent.

Homeless Services
Access Center The Access Center helps many homeless citizens gain a nighttime home so they don’t have to sleep on the streets. In addition to shelter, WLCAC provides identification and assistance.

Shelter Plus Care Shelter Plus Care helps the homeless by giving education, counseling (drug & family), medical services, and temporary & long term shelters. This program helps people escape homelessness in order to become economically stable.

Women’s Shelter The Women’s Shelter is intended to give private shelter for women with children. The facilities have a playground, laundry, and lots of room. They offer meetings and counseling to support those who reside in this shelter. It is a transitional housing program that helps mothers without homes a permanent living space within 90 days of them joining the program. The shelter has all the amenities of a home (handicap bathrooms, kitchen & dining, and activity rooms).

Transitional Housing for Mental Health Clients Transitional Housing for Mental Health Clients is intended for mental health patients who are somewhat self-sufficient, but cannot fully live on their own for fear of becoming hospitalized. Ultimately WLCAC is using this program to help the patients live independently.

Youth & Family Development
To give South Central Los Angeles a labor force, they have to have a strong youth. That is why WLCAC focuses on getting the youth work-ready, so they can benefit the community at large. They offer residents of youth: job readiness, tutoring, paid work experience, training, leadership skills, and job advancement.

The Greater Watts Child Care Center (GWCCC) The GWCCC is a child care center that provides child care and developmental services. GWCCC charges clients an amount that is fair based on the clients income. They give educational, recreational, and cultural enrichment activities in addition to parenting classes & family management workshops. They are doing this in a place where almost half of families have a single female parent.

Family Source Center (FSC) FSC provides whole families with access to social services they wouldn’t normally have (child care, after-school programs, health services, educational workshops, job training, family & intensive case management, and counseling).

Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD) GRYD provides youth with an alternative to gangs. It uses youth training and parent leadership training to reduce gang related activities (crime, drug abuse, violence, dropping out of school, etc).

21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) CCLC is a youth program partnered with the California Department of Education that pushes forward literacy, leadership, and career development while also showing kids how to express themselves.

Other Services
Senior Services Bernice Watkins Vision Complex: WLCAC operates the biggest senior citizens program in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. There are two multi-purpose centers, (Watts & downtown Los Angeles) that provide recreational activities, educational programs, health screenings, field trips, daycare, and hot meals to the elderly. There are many satellite meal sites where patients are served food. They also deliver to elderly or disabled patients that cannot get the food on their own. The WLCAC also helps seniors in their home, transports patients for shopping or appointments, and gives advice for which social services are best for them.

Transportation Since 1973, WLCAC has provided the community with transit programs. They own a convoy of vehicles that are to be used for transit operations. There are handicap accessible mini-buses used for the elderly or handicapped to a variety of places at a low cost. These buses stay in a relatively local area (50 mile radius) and can take groups of handicapped citizens to community events. The WLCAC now has about 25 buses that are constantly transporting citizens in need around the Watts/Willowbrook areas.

Restoration Services The Restoration Services give home maintenance to low-income or senior residents. They also give energy & water conservation services so as to reduce their clients monthly bills and help the environment.

Weatherization Project The WLCAC runs a Weatherization Project funded by the Southern California Gas Company which brings modern energy conservation practices into their clients homes. These are things like: insulating the attic, installing low flow shower heads, weather stripping doors & windows, and caulking.

Employment WLCAC has a job placement & training program for citizens of all ages, including seniors, veterans, and dislocated workers.

Supporters

 * U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
 * City of Los Angeles Department of Aging
 * City of Los Angeles
 * Los Angeles County Community & Senior Services
 * County of Los Angeles
 * SHIP (Shipping Heath as Partners in Education) California
 * United Way
 * Big Streetscape Project
 * Department of Education
 * California Community Foundation
 * Southern California Gas Company
 * GRYD (Gang Reduction & Youth Development)
 * California Department of Housing and Community Development
 * Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority
 * Community Development Commision of the County of Los Angeles
 * Kedren Mental Health Center
 * Sanitation Department of Public Works
 * Citibank Los Angeles