People Helping People

PeopleHelpingPeople began its journey in June 2015, when Latif Abid decided that more should be done for the homeless and disabled, who have largely been dismissed and ignored by their families and society. The genesis of the project came from Latif’s personal passion for the homeless and disabled, and his personal empathy for them given that his two brothers were mentally disabled. Latif recognized the fact that if he and his mother did not care for them, they would definitely be in similar difficult situations as those he often saw and met on the streets. PeopleHelpingPeople, during its onset, began as a simple and one-dimensional service whereby Latif would every Sunday go and buy food and water in large quantities and distribute them all over West LA while engaging all the individuals he met along the way to gain a better understanding of their backgrounds and stories. Today, PeopleHelpingPeople has evolved into an organization that looks to connect individuals that are looking for meaningful opportunities to contribute to their society and community, even if initially on a smaller and ad-hoc basis, with local families and small businesses. These local families and small businesses should look to provide real assistance to those who need it by engaging them with different opportunities (e.g. basic labor) that the homeless can assist with, thus empowering these individuals beyond the regular basic necessities (e.g. food and water) that are typically seen. With your support, we aim to both directly support these individuals by connecting them with the funding and access they need as well as indirectly support them by connecting them with the local families and businesses through this platform online and on the ground in LA. The PeopleHelpingPeople team has expanded to include two new partners who will play meaningful roles in driving the success of this organization. Aloke Pillai, a visionary designer and developer in Toronto/NYC, will lead the online and digital effort. Vikram Abraham, an LA-based private equity investor, will also play a leading role in managing the regulatory and financial aspects of the business which include maintaining and monitoring its status as an NPO. Both Aloke and Vikram will help guide the management and strategic direction of the organization.