A Step to Freedom has been transforming lives in South Los Angeles for 34 years. Here is what that looks like in data — and in people.
By the Numbers
These numbers represent real people — individuals who refused to be defined by their circumstances, and a community that refused to give up on them.
Lives Transformed
Individuals who have completed at least one ASF program since 1991
Served in 2024
Adults housed and supported through ASF programming last year
Permanent Housing Rate
Participants who secured permanent housing in 2025
Mental Health Access
Participants who accessed mental health services in 2025
Housing Beds
Available across 6 South Los Angeles facilities
Years Serving
Consecutive years of service to South LA since 1991
Why It Matters
Program by Program
Each ASF program is purpose-built for a specific need. Together, they form a comprehensive pathway from crisis to stability to lasting freedom.
Interim Housing
202 beds across 6 South LA facilities provide safe, structured housing alongside wraparound case management — the foundation that makes everything else possible.
Rise & Thrive Workforce
A five-pillar Reentry Workforce Accelerator connecting participants to fair-chance employment through CRCD, Pacific Gateway, Reignite Hope, and PV Jobs.
Mental Health & Recovery
Trauma-informed, culturally responsive mental health and substance use services with licensed clinicians embedded directly in our residential programs.
Permanent Housing
Housing search, rental assistance, benefits enrollment, and post-placement case management ensuring that stability lasts long after program completion.
Family Reunification
Relationship counseling, legal resource referrals, child welfare system navigation, and reunification planning — because family is one of the most powerful forces for lasting change.
Community Outreach
Warm the Streets (since 2014) and Blessing Bags (since 2015) bring resources, presence, and connection directly to South LA's unhoused residents year-round.
Voices of Impact
"Before ASF, I had a record and nowhere to go when I got out. The first night, they had a bed for me. By month three, I had a job. By month six, I had my own place. That's not luck — that's what this program does when you commit to it."
"The Rise & Thrive program helped me get my ID back, build a resume, and connect with an employer who gave me a real shot. I've been employed for 18 months now. I thought that door was closed forever."
"I'd been on the streets for two years when the Warm the Streets team found me. They didn't just give me a blanket — they sat with me. They came back the next week. Eventually I trusted them enough to walk through the door. That walk changed my life."
"My caseworker helped me start rebuilding my relationship with my daughter after years apart. We're not all the way there yet — but we're talking. That's everything."
Our Journey
A Step to Freedom launches in South Los Angeles with a conviction that justice-involved adults deserve more than a revolving door of incarceration and homelessness.
Our first outreach initiative takes resources directly to South LA's unhoused residents every winter. 10,000+ blankets distributed to date with 50+ partners and 1,000+ volunteers.
Year-round distribution of essential supplies extends ASF's outreach presence throughout the community — a daily declaration that South LA's unhoused residents are seen.
The Rise & Thrive Reentry Workforce Accelerator launches — a five-pillar program connecting justice-involved adults to fair-chance employment through CRCD, Pacific Gateway, Reignite Hope, and PV Jobs.
New residential site for women opens, expanding ASF's continuum of care. 303 individuals served in 2024. Cumulative total surpasses 4,000 lives transformed since founding.
Growing capacity, deepening impact, and building the South LA that every community member deserves.
From the Field
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Be Part of the Numbers
Every statistic on this page began with one person deciding to act. Your gift today becomes tomorrow's outcome — a housing placement secured, a job landed, a family reunited.
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