Experience South Los Angeles

Sierra Service Project launched is Urban project in South Los Angeles in 2004.  Since then, each summer has been bigger and more successful than the one before. 

The Project Site.  Our volunteers and staff are housed in the large Vermont Square United Methodist Church, located at 4410 Budlong Ave about one mile west of the Harbor Freeway.  The church has a gated parking lot, large kitchen, bathrooms, showers, a gymnasium and several large rooms for sleeping.  This is where we eat, sleep, do program and hang-out when we are not working or visiting sites in the City.

Learn More About South Los Angeles.  Our South Los Angeles program site is based in the Vermont Square United Methodist Church.  To learn more about the Vermont Square community, visit the Los Angeles Times' very interesting "Mapping LA" website.  This site contains a vast  amount of information about the population, ethnicity, income and housing status of this neighborhood.

The work.  Our projects are done on homes in the communities surrounding the church.  Typical homeowners are elderly people who have lived in the area for decades.  Projects include painting, building wheelchair ramps, installing hand rails and other projects that elderly people need.  One of the things that volunteers always comment on is how gracious and friendly these homeowners are.

Learning about LA.  A great deal of our non-working time is devoted to learning about Los Angeles and the people who live there.  This starts with a bus tour of the city on Monday evening, where you will visit the Watts Towers, the downtown area, the area where the 1992 riots started, as well as other spots that serve as entry points into discussions of Los Angeles’ history and challenges.  Rather than working on Wednesday, we devote the entire day to visiting social agencies which serve the needs of LA’s homeless and working poor.  We finish Wednesday’s with an evening barbeque at the beach!

Is it safe?  Yes.  Our facility is very secure and South Los Angeles’ reputation for crime is greatly exaggerated.  We have experienced no problems in the years we have worked in the area and expect none in the future.

Does it have that special “SSP feeling”?  Absolutely.  Our staff will be drawn from the same amazing group of young adults who staff all of our projects.  We sing, play silly games, and hang-out just like at any other SSP location.    Most participants think that it is either “as good” or better than a “regular SSP” project!

Learn more and prepare your team.  We have prepared a detailed Study Guide to help you and your team learn about Los Angeles and get more out of your SSP experience.  We suggest that you download the Guide, print a copy for each of your participants and spend one or two preparation sessions reviewing and discussing the materials.  (Requires Acrobat Reader.)

Site Emergency Phone Number: (323) 290-9644

(Please note the staff will be unable to answer your call until 6/21/10)

Mailing Address:  Send all mail to:

    Vermont Square United Methodist Church

    c/o Sierra Service Project

    Volunteer Name

    4410 Budlong Avenue

    Los Angeles, CA 90037

Driving Directions:

Take Highway 110/Harbor Freeway.  Exit Vernon Avenue and go west.  The church is on the corner of Budlong and Vernon, about .8 miles from the freeway on the left-hand side.