Los Angeles' central city - Skid Row - has been declared as America's largest service-dependent ghetto. In the midst of this area of rescue missions, one-room welfare hotels, poverty, homelessness, and discarded lives, are up to 20,000 people The needs are diverse ranging from mental illness and drug addiction to chronic unemployment and little or no education. Lost in this sad scene are hundreds of children who often repeat the cycles of poverty and dependency that they see modeled every day.


Established in 1988 as a 501 (c) (3) ministry, Central City Community Outreach has been making a difference in hundreds of lives through weekly support groups, community outreach programs, one-on-one leadership development, and the ONLY after school program for the at-risk children and youth in the unique area.


Operating Monday through Thursday from 3pm to 7pm, the S.A.Y. Yes! Center addresses four areas of development with these at-risk children and youth:


On Fridays, the staff visits with the parents and caseworkers to discuss each child's progress and needs. The results of this investment of love and caring is decreased truancy in school, improvement in academic performance, and a spirit of hope that impacts every area of each child's life to help break the generational cycle of poverty and ignorance to one of productivity, independence and fulfillment.


For adults, the Karaoke Coffee Club was launched in 1998 as a healthy alternative to the temptations on the streets. This outreach is the primary contact point to draw 300 people each week in the support network of Central City Community outreach through creative fun and Christ-centered interaction.


If you would like more information or would like to volunteer to help in any one of the Outreach areas, please e-mail us at info@lacentralcity.org or call 213-689-1766.