A Grass-Roots Option for Addressing the Needs of the Homeless

A history of serving the needs of its vecinos in Boyle Heights of East LA is just part of the story of Delores Mission Church. Started in 1925, the mission has been dedicated to the poor and immigrants found in the less desirable areas of St. Mary’s Parish. Today, the mission includes a sanctuary with a large outdoor space for community gatherings, a childcare center, and a K-8 school that feeds into local Catholic high schools. The Jesuit priests who run the mission believe that Jesus ‘walks among us’, guiding the priests as they minister to the spiritual, emotional, and educational needs of the population surrounding the mission.

During the 1980s, churches became safe havens for Latino refugees and ‘guerrillas’ of the Central American civil conflicts that changed the dynamics of the US population. Boyle Heights became a home to displaced men fleeing the civil war in El Salvador. They could be found on streets, in parks, and on church stoops because their families lived nearby, but did not have space in their cramped homes to house them. Hungry, tired, and desiring work, they found themselves caught between government policies of the US and a lack of homeland back in ES.

Their abuelas, tias, madres, y hermanas found a way to help the men by opening the doors of Delores Mission Church to them at night and providing donated meals. While jobs remained scarce, the men were allowed to assimilate and slowly become productive members of Boyle Heights because the US government began recognizing their need for asylum. Proyecto Pastoral or Guadalupe Homeless Project (1988) has grown from just a shelter in the mission’s sanctuary to a more inclusive NGO that provides medical care, job & financial training, and housing placements today thanks to the dedicated women of the mission.