History of the Los Angeles Mission Community Clinic

Although we are now a separate non-profit organization, we are grateful to our founder, the Los Angeles Mission (LAM). Together the LAM and LAMCC have brought hope and restoration to thousands of men, women, and children living in Skid Row.

LAM founded the Los Angeles Mission Community Clinic (LAMCC) in 1995--a time when LA County budget cuts resulted in a healthcare crisis and left the thousands of people downtown with greatly decreased access to medical care.

In the midst of the crisis came a ray of hope in a most unlikely place. A Skid Row "crack house" hotel located across the street from the Los Angeles Mission was purchased and remodeled in 1995. In March of 1996 the Los Angeles Mission Community Clinic was officially licensed and opened its doors to the uninsured and homeless of Los Angeles, providing compassionate, comprehensive medical and dental services to anyone in need.

In order to focus on the provision of healthcare to our community, in the fall 2004 the LAMCC became a separate 501(c)(3) organization. LAMCC appointed its own Board of Directors, and received designation as a Health Care for the Homeless Program (Federally Qualified Health Center). With this federal designation and the addition of federal funds, as well as ongoing support from the LAM and private foundations, the LAMCC will serve a total of 5,748 homeless patients in 19,800 encounters annually by December 2006.

It is the goal of the Los Angeles Mission Community Clinic to make it much easier for the homeless in Los Angeles to access top-level healthcare from highly qualified medical, dental and mental health professionals regardless of age, race, color, religion, creed or country of origin.