Sororities and fraternities on USC’s Greek Row came together from November 4 through November 8 for Row Fest, a fundraiser to support the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. From a battle of the bands to sports tournaments, Greek organizations held events throughout the week to support their neighbors experiencing homelessness and food insecurity.
“It’s fun to pie the president, but in the back of your mind you know the money’s going to the food bank, so that’s why people were coming,” said Marguerite Larson, sorority Delta Gamma’s head of philanthropy and Row Fest delegate.
Volunteer opportunities around USC allow students to understand the unhoused community in Los Angeles better. In their most recent homelessness count, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority estimated that 46,260 people experienced homelessness on any given night in L.A. in 2023, a 10% increase from 2022. In a show of support for this community, the week of Row Fest events raised $10,580 as a part of the #WeFeedLA campaign.
“People really did show up because they were happy to come together and raise money for this cause in particular,” Larson said.
People experiencing homelessness are far more likely to be victims of crime than the general population, according to Los Angeles Police Department data. A Springer study conducted across five cities in the United States in 2014 found that 98% of participants experiencing homelessness had been victims of a violent attack.
Around USC specifically, students who can afford higher rents can contribute to gentrification, decreasing access to affordable housing for South L.A. locals. According to the 2017 census, the median income in one of USC’s zip codes, 90007, was $23,070. The median family income of a USC student is $161,400, according to a 2017 study from the Equality of Opportunity Project.
Some students address this disparity by volunteering to help those experiencing homelessness in the community.
Casa Milagrosa is a day resource center in Westlake for people experiencing homelessness. A group of USC students takes weekly trips to the center to volunteer.
Julia Osiripaibul is a campus minister at the USC Caruso Catholic Center who coordinates local outreach to people in need in the community. Osiripaibul said USC students should continue to be aware of their surroundings when passing by people on the street. However, she said that this doesn’t mean avoiding all unhoused individuals.
“When I ignore [unhoused people] and I don’t look at them, I lose a little bit of myself,” she said. “What we really try to encourage our students to do is to sit down and have conversations with these guests.”
These trips to Casa Milagrosa allow students to have firsthand interactions with unhoused people in the community in a controlled, neutral environment. The center provides guests with hot meals, clothes, Wi-Fi, clean bathrooms, computers and television.
Melissa Larot is a fifth-year architecture major at USC who has volunteered at Casa Milagrosa since 2022. Larot said volunteering at the center changed her perspective on homelessness.
“We kind of dehumanize those who are living in tents, and even at USC living on benches, and Casa is a good way to really humanize and have a dignified interaction with people,” she said.
Johnny Galindo was formerly unhoused and spent five years living on Skid Row. He goes to Casa Milagrosa almost every day.
Prior to living on Skid Row, Galindo lived in Nogales, a town that borders Mexico, and worked for a trucking company importing and exporting goods from the United States. He said that he became involved with cartels and organized crime through this job, transporting money and drugs across the border.
“I did federal time — I did five years, I was looking at 15,” he said. “It was my life down the tubes. Once I was released, I was going to go right back to Mexico, to pick up where I left off.”
Instead, his brother convinced him to move to California, where Galindo became unhoused and lived across from the LAPD Police Station.
“Because of that lifestyle, I’ve gotten to see a lot of things that a human being is not supposed to see,” he said. “I’m no doctor, but they say I suffer from PTSD. I’m very thankful for this facility because it’s a safe, clean environment and they’ve helped me out with everything from hygiene to mental health.”
Another guest at Casa Milagrosa, Roberto Locon, said that he feels he can rely on the community at the center. Along with providing food, it has helped him with getting bus passes and filling out paperwork.
Gabriel Partida, a volunteer and communications coordinator at Casa Milagrosa, said their center is unique because of “that feeling of welcomeness” they provide.
“Beyond just food and whatever supplies they might need, it’s a mental check-in, it’s an emotional check-in,” Partida said.
According to a paper published by Frontiers in Psychology in May of 2015, services structured to increase integration and connection amongst communities can enhance wellbeing and contribute to breaking the cycle of homelessness.
“When student volunteers come by and help us out … it takes away from the difference of it all because they’re sitting down and doing art and chit-chatting, going beyond charity and instead focusing on community,” Partida said.
To volunteer at Casa Milagrosa, students can sign up through their website. USC students can also volunteer through the USC Caruso Catholic Center, and programs are open to people of all religions.