A Step to Freedom

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A Step to Freedom A Step to Freedom is a community organization that provides housing and supportive services to men and women in the Los Angeles area.

ASF provides housing to men and women who are transitioning from homelessness to entrepreneurship by providing supportive services.

It's never just a blanket.It's warmth on a cold night. It's a conversation with someone who cares. It's an introduction ...
10/22/2026

It's never just a blanket.

It's warmth on a cold night. It's a conversation with someone who cares. It's an introduction to resources that may help change what's next.

Warm the Streets is where connection begins.

Share this with someone who believes small acts can open big doors.

Warm the Streets 2026 starts now, and this year it's a full season.A Step to Freedom is a nonprofit focused on economic ...
10/19/2026

Warm the Streets 2026 starts now, and this year it's a full season.

A Step to Freedom is a nonprofit focused on economic mobility, through housing placement and workforce development. Warm the Streets is where that work begins. Each winter our volunteers and partner organizations walk blankets, socks and water out to our neighbors living on the street in South Los Angeles. The blanket matters, and it's also how we meet someone, learn their name, and open the door to a warm bed, a job and a home.

The 2026 season:
• Saturday, December 12 — Darby Park, Inglewood
• Monday, January 18 — MLK Day of Service
• February 2027 — Housing & Workforce resource fair, with employers hiring on site
ASF's outreach team and eligibility specialists are at every service day, so a neighbor who wants housing or work can start that day.

Three ways to walk with us:
Volunteer (teams of 5+ register once): https://asf-wts-2026.netlify.app/volunteer · Start a fundraising team: https://asf-wts-2026.netlify.app/fundraise ·
Give, $25 is one package: https://asf-wts-2026.netlify.app/donate

Over 13 seasons: 20,000+ blankets, 50+ partner organizations, 1,000+ volunteers. The blanket starts the relationship. The services change the life.

A job is not the reward. It’s the proof.In the four years after release from federal prison, about two in three people w...
10/13/2026

A job is not the reward. It’s the proof.

In the four years after release from federal prison, about two in three people were jobless at any given point. One in three never found work at all.

That is not a story about willingness. People come home ready. What stops them is everything that has to be true before an application can even be filed — an ID, an address, a phone, a way to be paid.

So we build toward work. Rise & Thrive, our workforce accelerator, has run since 2023 inside everything else we do: housing, enhanced care management, vital documents, family reunification. One continuum, one roof, no handoff to fall through.

And the housing doesn’t end when the job starts. A single adult needs $28.92 an hour to live in LA County without subsidy. Almost no first job after release pays that. A program that hands out a certificate and opens the door is setting up the next fall.

Warm the Streets 2026 is how this starts — on the street, with a care package and a name. Corporate partnerships are open now. Ask us what a sponsorship actually builds.

Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics via Prison Policy Initiative; MIT Living Wage Calculator.

Stronger Partnerships. Greater Resources. Lasting Impact. Creating pathways to successful reentry takes more than one or...
10/09/2026

Stronger Partnerships. Greater Resources. Lasting Impact.

Creating pathways to successful reentry takes more than one organization—it takes a community of committed partners working together.

Our Program Managers join fellow reentry service providers and community resource partners at a PACT (Parole and Community Team) meeting, strengthening relationships and exploring resources that directly benefit the individuals we serve.

At A Step to Freedom, these connections help us expand access to housing, workforce development, healthcare, and essential support services—ensuring our clients have the tools and opportunities they need to rebuild their lives and achieve long-term stability.

Because when we strengthen our network, we strengthen the support system surrounding every client.

Together, we're not just connecting resources. We're creating second chances and breaking cycles.

Community. Service. Civic engagement. A Step to Freedom was proud to serve as a collaborative partner for Council Distr...
10/07/2026

Community. Service. Civic engagement.

A Step to Freedom was proud to serve as a collaborative partner for Council District 9’s Voter Registration Event, with our outreach team and volunteers on the ground connecting with community members and supporting the day’s efforts.

And sometimes, in the middle of doing the work, you have to capture the moment! 📸 Our President & CEO, Kenya Croom, a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., linked up with fellow community advocates and members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

It’s always good to see organizations, advocates, and neighbors come together around a shared commitment to service, civic engagement, and a stronger South LA. ❤️

This is what a step to freedom looks like.Another ASF client is officially housed and beginning a new chapter in permane...
10/06/2026

This is what a step to freedom looks like.

Another ASF client is officially housed and beginning a new chapter in permanent housing. Every key handed over represents more than a place to live—it represents stability, dignity, and the opportunity to move forward.

As we prepare for our annual Warm the Streets campaign, moments like this remind us why we show up. We meet our unhoused neighbors where they are today while continuing the work that helps move them toward where they deserve to be: home.

Every client who walks through our doors is met by a leadership team that has spent years doing this work the hard way: ...
10/02/2026

Every client who walks through our doors is met by a leadership team that has spent years doing this work the hard way: on the ground, in the community, and alongside the people we serve.

Leadership isn't a title here. It's showing up, every day, for people the system left behind.

Who we serve matters.The 2026 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count tells the story: Black Angelenos are 29% of people expe...
10/01/2026

Who we serve matters.

The 2026 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count tells the story: Black Angelenos are 29% of people experiencing homelessness in LA County, nearly four times their share of the population. Latinos are the largest group at 48%. Behind every one of those numbers is a person who was failed by a system long before they ever lost housing.

That's why A Step To Freedom shows up where we do. Our clients are coming home from incarceration, leaving shelters, and starting over with nothing but the will to try. We meet them with interim housing, case management, healthcare, and workforce training, because a second chance only works if someone is there to open the door.

We don't serve statistics. We serve people. And the people we serve are the ones this county has overlooked the longest.

Warm the Streets is coming back!
09/30/2026

Warm the Streets is coming back!

Address

164 W. 80th Street
Los Angeles, CA
90003

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