Working in Skid Row: A Q&A with Lisa Watson

Earlier, we posted a profile on South Pasadena resident and Chief Executive Officer of the Downtown Women's Center, Lisa Watson, who has grown the center immensely. Here's a look into some of the challenges and feats she's encountered along the way.

How have you gone about growing the Women's Center into what it is today?

Well I think the thing that is so rich about the Women's Center, and the thing I like about South Pasadena too, is that its very community-orientated. I believe communities really are the ones who can create change. So we needed to expand our volunteer program because only through outreach and education can we talk about the plight of poverty and homelessness. 

We've grown because, unfortunately, homeless women is the fastest growing segment of the population in homelessness. About 33 percent of homeless people are women in the United States. So when I first started, we were serving about 1,200 women a year and this year we will serve 5,000. [Any woman who lives in the community can come through the doors.]

What were some surprises you experienced along the way?

At the time when I started twelve years ago, Skid Row was pretty ignored. No one was talking about it. Nothing was being done. Groups weren't even talking to each other that were down there. I was like "Wow, we are so isolated here." It was such a shock going from Glendale and Pasadena where you have community meetings.

But what happened was that our neighborhood started to become gentrified and new people started to move into the community and all of a sudden there was a lot more attention to our community, which was good.  

So then the community started to build more [in early 2003], and we saw more housing being built and better outcomes for our individuals. I think what really surprised me is that then so quickly we got into the recession and the economy started going down and the numbers just kept drastically increasing. What that means for women is that the rate of victimization keeps increasing, too. I think about 80 percent of our women if they are on the streets for more than 72 hours, they will be sexually assaulted. 

The other thing I was surprised about is the community of Skid Row, because really there is so much negativety that you see all the time. But these people are such survivors and there's so much sense of hope and courage. It's amazing the stories you hear that one has the will to survive it. 

Can you provide an example?

I'll give you the example of one woman. She was on the streets living in various cardboard boxes and tents for 13 years and then she came to the center and got diagnosed with breast cancer. At that time, she was not in touch with her family. So we worked with her to get in touch with her family, and she ended up moving in with her mother in Long Beach. It was very hard, because she was very addicted to drugs and alcohol. But once she got diagnosed, she was sober at first but then went back to using. She started coming back to the center during the day, and we worked with her to get to another treatment program. And now she actually is living clean and sober, and lives in our new residence. She has her own apartment now and now she also is also working at a job training program. She has been free of cancer for over four years. 

But the other part of her story is that she had a child at the time who died at a very young age and that was a life-changing experience. She also suffered severe abuse as a child. When you hear the women share their stories, that is where the commonality lies. 

So, what did you do to offset the recession and this spike in homelessness?

[In addition to building a new home], we built a social enterprise, which is a retail store and it adds on to our job training program. Because we saw a lot more younger women over these last few years come in that really just needed more support in their employment skills. So now women are making products, they are selling products in the store, they are going through computer and educational classes. We are partnering with Bloomingdales in Century City, and they are doing our customer service training for our ladies. 

What are some misconceptions people have about the women you work with?

Homelessness is really a mental health issue. We live in a country right now that doesn't have the resources in place for people living in poverty with severe mental illness. We don't even have it for people with money. For example with schizophrenia if you take medication, it's only effective in about 50 percent of the people. And most of the people on Skid Row have some type of mental illness. 

Sounds like a 24/7 job. How do you separate work from home? 

I am a very local person. I shop and do everything local. And I love just going for walks along the Arroyo. That's the nice thing. My trees are overgrown in the front yard, and I know that but I love it because it's so serene to me. That's what I really appreciate about South Pas. I feel very safe—seeing people that I know. it's just so very opposite than Skid Row. 

What was with all the paparazzi outside the Women's Center in May?

Lindsay Lohan was sentenced to do community service at our center, so there's paparazzi hanging out to get pictures of her. So basically what our volunteers do is sort donations, prepare meals and help with different classes. They help with covering the residents and providing training.

Have you met her?

Yes, she's very nice and very sweet—very respectful.