638 W. HOLT AVE. POMONA CA 91768

BUILDING A HOME FOR INTERGENERATIONAL

POWER & WELLNESS

Gente Organizada was created as a means of empowering working-class immigrant families in the City of Pomona. During our early years as an organization, we operated without a physical home, conducting our work in public spaces throughout the city.

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In 2019, we leased a small storefront in downtown Pomona. Over the last few years, this space became the home of our social action groups. The Center also served as a safe and reliable drop-in space where students could do their homework, meet with peers, and talk about the future of their city. We hosted numerous community forums there, lent the space to fledgling organizing and nonprofit efforts, and hosted cultural gatherings in front of our steps. But as more residents began taking an active interest in changing the community, our small space quickly became the hub of activities. In no time, gatherings and events reached capacity and spilled out into the shared parking lot.

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As our work began to exceed the capacity of our small storefront, Gente Organizada began to weigh the opportunity costs of continuing to lease space as opposed to securing a larger, more permanent place for the community. Due in part to Pomona’s proximity to the booming Inland Empire logistics industry, commercial and office rent prices have been soaring. Gente, like many other nonprofit organizations, would soon be priced out of the market.

As of April 2022, we are proud to announce that Gente Organizada has acquired a permanent space in the heart of Pomona that fits our needs. Located just a mile from our previous residence, the new Gente Youth Center is a converted warehouse at the edge of Pomona’s West Holt neighborhood. With over 4,000 square feet of indoor space, 9-foot ceilings, and an expansive parking lot that can be used for outdoor events, this new space will be able to meet the growing needs of Pomona’s working-class families.