Kenya Kirkland Continues, A Step to Freedom’s 30 Year Legacy of Housing the Homeless
LOS ANGELES, CA – Kenya Kirkland continues her father’s 30-year legacy of housing homeless and formerly incarcerated individuals. As Executive Director of, A Step to Freedom (ASF), Kenya is the driving force behind the non-profit organization and plans to work within the neighborhoods they service to grow and build a bridge of communication, resources, and action that leads to an empowered community.
“We have 36 open beds, case managers, and outreach teams ready to be activated but we are held up by funding, which is frustrating,” says Kenya. “We are constantly told there are special funds for programs like the ones we have provided in this community for decades, but those funds aren’t finding their way to South Los Angeles,”” she continued.
Kenya and her staff of 30 plus employees offer programs to help change the way their clients think, so they are not only offering a temporary solution, but preparation for self-sustainability. They want clients to leave thinking like entrepreneurs, innovators, and contributors to the advancement of their communities. The team at ASF knows that pride in oneself, and pride in their neighborhood can turn a community around.
The Issue:
Black people make up 9% of the overall population in Los Angeles County, Black people represent 40% of the population experiencing homelessness, with an estimated 20,960 sheltered and unsheltered individuals experiencing homelessness. This represents an increase of 22% from the prior year (17,188), while the Count shows a 7% decrease in the number of White people experiencing homelessness during the same period.
Key insights:
- Ending homelessness will require a collective commitment to dismantling racism and addressing racial disparities, and sustained support from funders, policymakers, mainstream systems of care, service providers, and community partners.
- Institutional barriers across agencies and mainstream systems must be dismantled to eliminate the racial disparities and systemic racism affecting Black people experiencing homelessness.
- Despite local investment to expand the permanent housing resources within the Los Angeles County Coordinated Entry System (CES), a gap in housing availability remains, as the number of participants in need of permanent housing resources greatly exceeds the available supply.
As the Covid 19 pandemic has devastated the country, the homeless population has grown. Kenya is now aggressively using all of her resources to get her beds filled and provide vital resources to a community in crisis. She is sounding the alarm to all community leaders, local politicians, clergy, and more; ASF is open for business and ready to work together to get people off the streets and into warm, safe, housing.
To learn more about Kenya Kirkland and the programs offered by ASF visit: https://asteptofreedom.org/.
Kenya was recognized as one of Los Angeles’ Top 40 Under 40, she is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and sits as the Social Action Co-Chair of the Inglewood Alumnae Chapter. In addition, she is often called to speak or be a panelist on topics of empowerment, overcoming adversity, and business mentorship.
Media outlets interested in speaking with Kenya Kirkland contact Amy Malone, GICPR 323-972-4081 or amy@gicpublicrelations.net.
Media Contact:
Amy Malone, Girl in Charge Public Relations
323-972-4081
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