Combating Homelessness in LA Mile by Mile 2020

Get on your feet to help others get back on theirs!

Why you should participate: 

The homelessness crisis has gripped Los Angeles and affects all of us. BOMA/GLA recognizes that combating this issue is a priority for our members. We also understand that knowing how to help or what to do is difficult to grasp when a social crisis is of this magnitude.

With this in mind, BOMA/GLA teamed up with an organization we believed could make the biggest impact in helping to solve this crisis: The People Concern.

Together we created, BOMA Cares "Hands Together", an initiative for our organization to ban together and collectively work towards combating this ever-growing issue through food and clothing drives, community events to assemble or serve lunches, prepare hygiene kits, and fundraising towards the fight to end homelessness.

But our plans to make a difference were stopped in their tracks in March 2020.  As the world was thrown into a new challenge with the pandemic, our friends at The People Concern have continued to serve the over 66,000 people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County. Through strict sanitation and social distancing practices they have been able to keep all of their facilities open and operating, including their public showers and laundry services in both Santa Monica and on Skid Row.

In addition, they took on the challenge of operating two Project Roomkey sites, partnering with hotel owners and the county to place unhoused people at high risk of COVID-19 into unoccupied hotel rooms.  Not only did this project help stop the spread of COVID in these highly vulnerable areas, hotels were also able to recoup some of their lost income. Now with many funding resources drying up and volunteerism being impacted due to social distancing guidelines, The People Concern and the people they serve are severely in need of our help.
 
To this end, we are excited to offer the 2020 Run/Walk/Bike Challenge "Combatting Homelessness Mile by Mile"; a virtual experience that makes a difference, starting November 1st, 2020.  So gather your tenants, friends, neighbors, families and colleagues and help us support such a valuable organization. All registration fees and donations benefit The People Concern directly. 

It's Your Race, So Choose Your Distance!

Experience Los Angeles on an epic beach-by-beach expedition from El Pescador State Beach to Long Beach.  Along the way, you will earn milestone badges for each major landmark along the County Coast.  Make no mistake, this virtual challenge will test you! But don't fret, as we will motivate you along the way! 

Course Options

Over the course of the month, you're pledging to complete one of our three distance options:

1. Marina Del Rey Halfway (35 miles) -  an average of 8.75 miles per week (1.25 miles per day)
2. El Pescador State Beach to Long Beach (70 miles) -  an average of 17.5 miles per week (2.5 miles per day)
3. LA County Coast Round-Trip (140 miles) -  an average of 35 miles per week (5 miles per day)

Cover as little or as much as you can but be sure to pace yourself! You'll be able to track your distance and progress with our online progress tracking platform.

The challenge is simple:

1. Do what you want to do, when you want to do it, from wherever you are (run, walk, bike as few as 8.75 miles per week)!
2. Track your progress on our race page.
3. Connect on our Facebook group to share your progress, photos, and to motivate others!

Join the Community on Facebook!

Follow our Facebook page and add updates to your progress. Post photos of where you are walking, running or riding and cheer each other on! 

We Will Make An Impact!

All donations will support The People Concern, one of Los Angeles’ oldest and largest social service organizations supporting people experiencing homelessness and survivors of domestic violence. With interim and permanent supportive housing sites across LA County, their model of housing plus supportive services has led to 92% of the people housed never falling into homelessness again. The People Concern is thrilled to partner with BOMA/GLA to end homelessness in Los Angeles. To learn more visit www.thepeopleconcern.org.