United Way of Greater Los Angeles Celebrates a Decade of HomeWalk

LOS ANGELES, July 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of United Way's plan to eradicate poverty in L.A. County, the organization will host its 10th Annual HomeWalk, a 5K family run/walk to raise public awareness and funds to end homelessness, on Saturday, November 19th. As part of the 10th anniversary celebration, HomeWalk is moving to a new location in Downtown Los Angeles' majestic Grand Park. This year, United Way expects 15,000 people to participate, walking or running through a 5K route that will feature many of the organization's housing partners. Over the past nine years, 75,000 people have participated in HomeWalk, raising over $6.5 million, helping to house 17,000 people. Every dollar raised goes directly towards ending homelessness and, thanks to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, every $5,000 a person or team raises will be matched with another $5,000. This year's goal is to raise over $1 million with this match.

"We are grateful that our community and its leaders continue to rally around United Way and our partners' efforts to take a stand against homelessness," said Elise Buik, CEO and President, United Way of Greater Los Angeles. "Over the past nine years, the funds raised from HomeWalk have moved 17,000 people into permanent supportive housing. We hope our 10th anniversary will be the biggest Walk yet, drawing 15,000 people to the heart of Los Angeles. Our hope is that every one person will walk for one of our chronically homeless households, currently at a staggering number of 15,000."

L.A. County is the homeless capital of the nation, with nearly 47,000 people living on the streets on any given night. Thousands of Angelenos will join Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, County Supervisors, City Councilmembers, United Way of Greater Los Angeles CEO and President, Elise Buik, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Chairman, Steven Hilton, and other local leaders in Grand Park, running and walking to help end homelessness. Registration is $25 for both runners and walkers. This year's top sponsors include The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, ACCO Engineering Systems, AEG, JP Morgan Chase, Learn4Life, SoCalGas and Southern California Edison.

ABOUT UNITED WAY OF GREATER LOS ANGELESUnited Way of Greater Los Angeles is a nonprofit organization that creates pathways out of poverty by helping homeless people move into housing, providing students with the support they need to graduate high school prepared for college and the workforce, and helping hard-working families become financially stable. United Way identifies the root causes of poverty and works strategically to solve them by building alliances across all sectors, funding targeted programs and advocating for change. For more information, visit www.unitedwayla.org.

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SOURCE United Way of Greater Los Angeles