Los Angeles has been called “the Homeless Capital of the United States.” On any given night, approximately 75,000 people are homeless in Los Angeles County. Approximately 5,000 of those live on the 50 square-blocks that comprise Los Angeles’ Skid Row – roughly bounded by Third Street on the north, Main Street on the west, Alameda Street on the east and Eighth Street on the South.

Inner City Law Center’s two offices book-end Skid Row. Our main office is on the eastern edge, at the corner of Seventh and Central. The Weingart Access Center, where we first meet with most of our clients, sits on the western edge, near the corner of Fifth and Main.

The term “Skid Row” is generally identified as having arisen in connection with a “skid road” in Seattle, which in the 1850s was paved with logs or tree trunks along which other logs were skidded or dragged into the water for delivery to saw mills. The early Skid Rows were overwhelmingly male. Although the homeless population on Skid Row and elsewhere throughout Los Angeles County is still predominantly male, the number of homeless women and children has increased drastically in the past few years. ICLC is especially focused on serving the children who live on Skid Row. We also focus many of our services on veterans and on the chronically homeless.