Resilient Communities: Street Vendors Project

501(c)(3) community-based nonprofit organization located in Los Angeles, California is requesting funding in the amount of $400,000 to implement the Resilient Communities Street Vendors project. The project will be implemented throughout Los Angeles County, with targeted efforts in five Los Angeles neighborhoods with the highest concentration of street vendors, they include Boyle Heights, Santa Monica, MacArthur Park, Leimert Park, East Los Angeles, and Downtown Los Angeles. With the escalating prevalence of hate crimes and hate incidents targeting Los Angeles street vendors, the Resilient Communities Street Vendors project will assist local street vendors with reporting hate incidents, providing information on resources and services, advocacy and support with the permitting process, and community education about vendor's rights. Due to the increased frequency and severity of hate incidents, the primary purpose of the project is to address the underreporting of hate crimes experienced by local street vendors and provide support to victims of hate with community-based resources. To achieve this goal, the Resilient Communities Street Vendors project will include community outreach and education to increase reporting of hate incidents, advocacy with reporting hate incidents, providing support for those who have experienced hate, and establishment of a vendor's network that builds on local hate prevention efforts. Through this partnership, local vendors, advocacy groups, community based organizations, and law enforcement will work together to address issues related to hate crimes reporting by street vendors and create a safe and supportive environment that encourages vendors who have been victims of hate to come forward and report hate crime incidents. The Resilient Communities Street Vendors project will utilize a collaborative, trauma informed, and community-centric approach to reporting and data collection of hate crimes experienced by street vendors. The project will develop a comprehensive evaluation and data collection plan to assess and enhance reporting of hate crimes and will leverage the existing infrastructure of CA vs. Hate, a statewide hate reporting hotline managed and operated by 211 LA. This project will assist in collecting and analyzing data on hate crimes trends, identify barriers to reporting, build strategies to improve reporting, and promote a more inclusive and resilient community that values the diversity and contribution of street vendors in Los Angeles County and contributes to the broader efforts of combating hate and promoting social harmony.