Little Bag Ladies
THE PROJECT
OVER 30,000
HOMELESS WOMEN IN
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
PROJECT GOAL: RECYCLE RE-GIFT
Being homeless does not prevent you from being a woman.
Our goal is simple, to provide unused, unopened personal hygiene supplies discreetly and inexpensively to homeless women and girls in the community utilizing recycled hand bags and purses filled with supplies acquired from donations.
LA HOMELESS STATISTICS
96%
WOMEN UNDER THE AGE OF 60
75%
ARE VICTIMS DOMESTIC ABUSE
65%
HAVE SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN
32%
HAVE A BACHELORS DEGREE
According to the Institute for the Study of Homelessness and Poverty at the Weingart Center, an estimated 254,000 men, women and children experience homelessness in Los Angeles County during some part of the year and approximately 82,000 people are homeless on any given night.
Unaccompanied youth, especially in the Hollywood area, are estimated to make up from 4,800 to 10,000 of these. Although homeless people may be found throughout the county, the largest percentages are in South Los Angeles and Metro Los Angeles. Most are from the Los Angeles area and stay in or near the communities from which they came.
The average woman does not reach menopause until age 55 or beyond.
A high percentage - as high as 20 percent - are veterans.
The average age of homeless women in the Greater Los Angeles area and surrounding communities is 40 years old.
Despite public opinion, about 42% to 77% of all homeleess women do not receive the public benefits to which they are entitled.
20% to 43% are in families that are typically headed by a single mother, and an estimated 20% are physically disabled.
41% of homeless adults were employed within last year. About 25% are mentally ill.
As children, 27% lived in foster care or group homes; 25% were physically or sexually abused and 33%-66% of single individuals have substance abuse issues.
48% graduated from high school; 32% had a bachelor degree or higher (as compared to 45% and 25% for the population overall respectively).
SOURCE: LA Almanac 2019