Working in Skid Row: A Local Account

South Pasadena resident and Chief Exectuive Officer of the Downtown Women's Center, Lisa Watson, views her facility as a last resort for women in Skid Row. 

"When I had the opportunity to meet some of the women, I realized this is where the women go who fall through all the other social fabrics," she said. "Most don't have family members; they dont qualify for the domestic violence shelters. It's the last place."

Growing up with immigrant, working-class parents, she says the issue of poverty was always very real to her. She recalls talking to her grandmother about living through the Great Depression. 

"It was still hard, but you weren't different," she said of those times. "Everyone was poor. I think that living in poverty—especially in L.A.—is very difficult."

Before coming to work at the Downtown Women's Center 12 years ago, Watson worked as the Assistant Executive Director at the YWCA of Glendale where she oversaw domestic violence programs. 

When the opportunity arose to work at the Women's Center, she immediately felt a pulling. 

"I felt like I could make a difference and really be there and support and help this program grow," she said. 

And that she did having grown a staff of seven with a small budget to 48 employees and 18,000 volunteers. Most recently, she's led the development of the Center's new 67,000 square foot home encompassing the first medical and mental health center for women in Skid Row. 

In addition to providing women with food and shelter as well as helping them reunite with their families, it includes a social enterprise, which is a retail store that supplements the center's job training program. The retail store includes a cafe and a bakery. 

"With the neighborhood changing, we wanted to bridge the gap for those who are housed and right next to high-end condos,  so it wouldn't seem so separate," Watson said. 

The original housing facility, which is currently going through renovations, was founded in the late '70s when mental hospitals closed down and that segment of the population had nowhere to go. A common thread among these women is that they possess some type of mental illness, she said.

"When people were institutionalized in the late '70s, you didn't have the homeless population," said Watson. "I'm not saying we should go back to institutionalizing everyone, but there is a lack of a support system there."

The Downtown Women's Center has definitely provided that support. Having already grown tremendously, one can hardly imagine how it will evolve in years to come. 

Check back later for a Q&A with Lisa Watson. She talks misconceptions of Skid Row and Lindsay Lohan (yes, she's met the celeb).