Program Information "The Watts Labor Community Action Committee (WLCAC) is a non-profit community-based organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for residents in South Central Los Angeles. Founded in 1965, WLCAC strives to: Provide a wide range of community services, economic development activities and community preservation initiatives that engage community residents by providing skill training and employment opportunities for community residents; Aid and assist the residents of South Central Los Angeles and the surrounding communities in their efforts to improve the economic, social, and physical environment of their communities, Develop and coordinate activities with other community organizations and associations in the furtherance of common goals. Today, WLCAC has over 350 employees on its payroll, with an annual operating budget of approximately $20 million. WLCAC was instrumental in the successful campaign for the construction of the Martin Luther King/Drew Hospital in the Watts/ Willowbrook area. WLCAC members coordinated the efforts of more than 80 different organizations in a concentrated campaign, and recruited several hundred volunteers to help put a $12.3 million Watts hospital (Proposition A) bond issue on the June 1966 primary ballot, and to provide the required two-thirds vote. From its inception, WLCAC has focused its attention on developing programs and services that address the community's complex needs. The organization provides health services, skills training, employment, senior citizens' nutrition and day care, child care and development, community transit and dial-a-ride services, education, consumer protection, community beautification and urban greening, voter registration and participation, children and family welfare, crime prevention, art enrichment and cultural programming, energy and water conservation, technology, increased recreational facilities, low income housing, single-family homes, and community owned and managed commercial properties. WLCAC has built, owns and manages over 500 houses and apartments for low and moderate income families and senior citizens in South Central Los Angeles, as well as several commercial properties and business ventures. Proceeds from these operations are invested in creating additional housing and commercial development projects, which in turn provide new jobs for local residents. Though its community improvement efforts are concentrated in the Greater Watts and Willowbrook areas of South Central Los Angeles, WLCAC's social programs serve as an international model.WLCAC is highly accomplished, but there is still much work to be done. Today, WLCAC stands at the forefront of innovative community development strategies, encouraging personal development, fighting for the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage, and bridging inter-generational gaps.