St. Joseph's helped me & my family when I needed emergency assistance. They were able to provide me with the guidance to get my homeless hotel vouchers. Those vouchers saved my life. St. Joseph's saved my life. My children and I are thriving now . Please , please never stop believing in yourself! One day at a time . Always ok to start from the bottom and work your way up! read more

They don't really care / corrupted - couple individuals do try to help but the whole institution is not helpful unless you fit in their "poster pics".. website info is not updated ..it's all about getting government funds and very little to help people in desperate needs .. read more

My name is Albertina. I'd like to commend Jaime Ceras for excellent work. He provides quality services. And I would recommend him to anyone. He's very patient and compassionate and he kept my son and I from becoming homeless. He advocated with several agencies for us. I'd value him at 100 percent. read more

This is my second review. My first review was about a car part that was very much needed but sent back because it weighted too much. It was a starter for the van that i live in. A year later I needed a address to have my food stamp card sent to. The person in the office on Lincoln street in Venice told me that I could come by Monday anytime after 1:00 pm Monday and pick up my mail. When i got there at 1:00 pm i was told I could only pick up mail before noon. I don't understand why the saint joseph center keeps wasting my time. I have learned that you can not trust anything that the Saint Joseph center says. I also attempted to call them two times and only got answering machine. in my humble opinion find someone else who can help you. The Saint Joseph center is very unprofessional and doesn't really care about anyone or anything else but themselves. Don't take my word for it. Give them a try and you will see how rude and disrespectful they are.....good luck read more

If there was an option to give them ZERO I would. St Joseph Center is running the Permanent Supportive Housing apartments on 7th St & Witmer St. The staff is rude & DO NOTHING...not to help anyone. Many tenants have died in the apartments, one woman was in her apartment dead for an entire month & her dog died of starvation before staff did a welfare check. A man died in his apartment last year & was in there for a whole week before they did a welfare check. And there is blood all over, but the blue sticker is still on the door (A YEAR LATER). Gross!!! That is a definite health hazard. They need a Crime Crew to do the clean-up. They gave a guy an apartment, who is seriously 5150 & cannot live independently because of his mental issues. He has totally gutted his apartment, broke the doorknob off his door, took the closet doors off, melted all wall sockets with a torch & the fire department is out every other day because he lights things on fire. He busted the lights on the balcony & left the glass all over. He pulls the fire alarm almost every day & he flooded the entire garage & stairwells with sewer water. He assaulted another tenant who is 73 years old. Busted him in the head several times with a bicycle part. He leaves trash all over the building & runs around wearing a gold goat mask. When he is here in the building all he is doing is destruction. He is up all-night slamming things in his apartment & I have been a nervous wreck not knowing if I go to sleep will I even wake up? he might light the place on fire. But to top that one, my daughter died in another apartment on July 2nd just one day before her birthday. I was called by staff to tell me that my daughter overdosed & EMT's were already there. I ran over there immediately, as I am only 2 floors away...however, when I get there EMT's were leaving & told me that my daughter had been dead for 6-8 hours already. The same person (staff) who contacted me, typed up an email about my daughter dying & sent it to 9 others from the St Joseph Center & to a LAPD Officer stating that my daughter was murdered by two other tenants (& the email was written with graphic detail). However, she did not mention this to me, nor did she send me this email. I heard about it 3 days later by the building manager. Well after autopsy was complete, I spoke to a homicide detective with the LAPD & he told me that there was no foul play found. So, did this St Joseph Center Staff Member just make this story up? If so, that is pretty evil & disheartening (to say the least). She should at least be arrested for filing false police report & accusing 5 people (tenants) of murder. Not to mention exploiting my daughter's death & causing me much more heartache & stress as well as my sons...thinking their sister was murdered. This unacceptable behavior. NO, I would not recommend the St Joseph's Center to anyone. read more

Shame! This place has no respect for elderly people. They informed all of them by phone about gift card distribution on Dec. 16,2020 at 9:40-10:10 am. People have gathered at this time. And have been sear that cards are not available till 1 p.m. or next day.?! FROAD? read more

A worker named Carmen Cottam made a false allegation that I followed her home and that my family and I were permanently housed. Which neither are true. She did this so we could not be serviced by them. She also told me by text that me and my family don't deserve housing. What kind of people are they to tell a family that they don't deserve it and to make sure no one can help them by lying in the file? We've been asking for help from political offices and shelters and they all say St Joseph's will help. Someone should really investigate where the funds are actually going. read more

I recently called to the choir regarding the services unfortunately I have yet to arrive I will keep you guys updated in reference to their services and hospitality but I certainly recommend it for those who are in need of serious shelter read more

Excellent work St. Joseph Center is doing to help low-income and homeless people in LA. Their Bread and Roses Cafe also provides meals to many people in need. read more

I'm a little saddened by all these bad reviews as St Joesph has been heaven to me. I went through the Codetalk program, a 3-month boot camp dedicated to front-end web development and it really changed me. I was handed a skill, got many good connections and job opportunities, and knew what to do next in life. Not to mention bus and train fare to get to the program and food from the food pantry weekly. If you commit and really buckle down you can get a lot out of this because Nancy and Rachel were such good teachers. After, I had more of a concrete idea of what I wanted to do and the path I needed to take to get there. Like enrolling in school for computer programming and applying for internships. Right now I have an internship as a software engineer for a startup called Launchmaps. St. Joesph has stuck it's neck out time and time again to get me where I'm at today, especially Sharon. Then I went through Rapid Rehousing right before ending Codetalk (still through St Joesph) and got an apartment and went from living in a cramped RV to my own place, also thanks to Sharon, Geo, Crystal and a bunch more. Again, if you commit and stick through it, and really work for it, St. Joesphs will help you get to it. Also, never once has St. Joesph told me to "pray on it" while bringing up a problem. I've only been handed solutions and pathways to get to solutions. read more

Correct # (310) 392-2408 Please update the correct nuber - as this day shelter offers showers & meals every weekday for our struggling souls. Thank you for helping me get thru 2 years of struggle. I am healed and they helped so much! read more

I learn more than I was expecting in Codetalk program at St. Joseph Center. This bootcamp make feel more confidence. As a new resident of this country, I was not ready to interact or study; now I feel that I have a great skills and I'm ready to find a job. Everyone was very helpful!! Tuve la oportunidad de hacer este excelente programa incluso con un nivel medio de ingles, el idioma no es problema. read more

We became homeless back in 2009 and my mother and my sister were housed within 5 months. I received my voucher through Edmund Edelman in 2015!!! In the meantime i was homeless and cold and was pregnant. I was not allowed to move in with my family because my sister has a mental illness and the staff at St. Joseph Center decided that it would be better for me not to live with my family. (My mother and sister and i were living together at the time when we all became homeless; and the owner had lost his property to the City of Santa Monica because it was not up to code and he had refused to comply over a period of 10 years with the city and we the tenants had to move.) My son was born in 2013 and i was homeless with my husband and we went to St. Joseph Center and we received assistance from Maya to stay at the "Relax Inn Motel" off of La Brea for 6 weeks and then she informed us that the funds were unavailable and that we had to go to DPSS and apply for homeless services via 211 and touch base with the DPSS to get an appt. then we got our appt. and applied at the emergency shelter "upward bound house". We stayed there from November 2013 to April 2014 and moved out in 2015 to permanent housing. St. Joseph Center will ONLY HELP THOSE WHO ARE EMPLOYED BUT DO NOT MAKE ENOUGH TO MAKE A LIVING ON THEIR OWN!!! I never was given the opportunity to live with my mom and sister and had to live on the streets was raped and got my ribs fractured thanks to St. Joseph Center and their staff ASSUMING TO SEPARATE A FAMILY WAS THE BEST DECISION. My children i have 3 boys now could have lived with my mom and sister all along. I would have never gotten raped on the streets, robbed, beaten up, if it was not for them. Oh FYI the pantry dispenses goods that are expired. Last week my mother had to go to the ER because the canned goods are no good. read more

This place has changed a lot in the past 8 years. It went into major remodeling. This center helps out the community by providing free servies such as legal aid, conseling, taxi vouchers, free food bags. They also have special events for holidays in which they celebrate and give to those who need. They are always in need of volunteers. Really nice location, ample parking and friendly staff. I believe they also have day care while you visit them. read more

Saint Joseph Center on Hampton Dr and Lincoln Blvd is the worst corporation to have as your neighbor. The pollution and health hazards they create for us is unimaginable. Its so bad that SJC had to agree on their West Los Angeles Planning agreementCASE NO. APCW 2003-3304(SPE)(CU) (ZAD)(SPP)(CDP)(PA3) APPROVAL OF PLANS 204 South Hampton Drive Page 8 (15)..... "the applicant shall clean up the public right-of-ways within one block of the subject center once per day when the center is open to clients. Such clean up shall be limited to Hampton Drive from Marine Street to Rose Avenue, Third Avenue from Marine Street to Rose Avenue, Marine Street from Hampton Drive to Third Avenue, and Rose Avenue and alley from Hampton Drive to Third Avenue, and be generally limited to items such as feces, vomit, bottles, cans, paper and needles." For years they did not do this while most the neighbors including myself were never told about their city agreement even when we had meetings with their CEO Vallecia Adams! She even denied about having to do these clean ups at their last public meeting. After many folks stood up to them they started to clean up partially the required area. Unfortunately my neighbors and myself have notice their employee coming around for human feces clean up with out the proper gloves and cleanup tools which I would think is a violation of OSHA! 8/27/18 6AM...I just got a 6AM in the Morning call saying they will try to clean up the homeless serial pooper's feces that was on the Temple/Church water valved that they missed last time. I checked today and human feces is still not clean up! For pictures and more info go to.... https://veniceupdate.com and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/illegalDumpingVeniceBeach2016/ read more

I would like to thank St. Joseph Center staffs especially the Codetalk instructors Chrissie and Rachel. They helped me to have a clear understanding on Web Development and preparing the skills I needed to land a job in tech. St. Joseph Center staffs has your back to support for you! I hope one day more WOMEN will be entering in the TECH jobs read more

I am 71 years old and all I need is an address to mail my driverslicense so I will not have to continue driving with no license. The lady hung up on me twice and blocked my number. I was an alter boy for 7 of the 8 years I attended Sacred Heart catholic school. I have served hundreds of masses for no pay many at 6 a. m. Now they treat melike human garbage. Do not donate any money to these devils. read more

I am so grateful for the St. Joseph's Center 404 Lincoln Blvd. I am chronically homeless and I thank God for the wonderful services and staff available at St. Joseph's. My New Years resolution is to practice being thankful for the things I do have. If I focus on negative situations or conditions then "Negative" is what I will attract to myself and others. Agreeable or sympathetic conditions may not arrive or be available when we thought they would or should, but just because things do not go our way we must understand that there are others in need and our time shall come. I do appreciate YOU St. Joseph's!! Living outside can be unpredictable at times, however I thank you for your steady and unwavering services. God Bless Karen Harris read more

Me and my girlfriend were starving to the point of almost death and they turned us away, don't come here.

This is a number gathering service not an agency that helps people. Since Aug of last year I have been ignored, lied to and basically given the run around. I have gone to therpasists and doctors and had referrals in get an intake. Which I did 8 times, and not once do I receive a follow up. I have gone and sat in the waiting room and have been threatened to be arrested if I didn't leave. I am a 47 year old college educated women who because of cancer and a job loss have found myself needing services and for some reason people keep sending me to this awful place because based on the numbers on the website they help people but they do not. They ignore you at a time when you are the most desperate and in need of help. They never call you back if they answer the phone at all. And the only excuse they give is the amount of people they are supposedly helping yet I have a petition of 150 names of people who have called within the last year and have gotten nothing but an hassle with no explanation of why. I am making a formal complaint to the state but I know nothing will happen but I did want others to beware and to look for other agencies you will die or end up 100% homeless before you will get any assistance from this organization. Where is the money going that was granted to them to prevent homelessness if they never help anyone. Where does the money go for mental health if they never give anyone an appointment. Where is all that money going. read more

CodeTalk was created by women for women to empower women using tech as an entry into the future. This bootcamp is an academic trailblazer in that it was my first experience recieving nuturing along with hyper scholastic teaching. But what really stands out most is that I graduated this program knowing that I can be authentic to myself. That I do not have to act like a man to be assertive or run away from the color pink to blend in. That I can embrace being a woman and embed my personality into my work as a web developer. The course work is demanding, as it should be. Computer programming is vast and changes daily. A lot of my CodeTalk peers grew up in a time where things remained constant. CodeTalk prepared me for the future of constant daily change. I now use AR/VR for my business cards. I understand how important it is to show how good a coder you are or aspire to be by placing code on a platform such as GitHub. That I know what GitHub is is a feat in and of itself. While the media focused on how difficult women have it in tech, CodeTalk introduced me to remarkable women and men who went through struggles, periods of uncertainty, doubt and hesitation to become employable by Snap, Google, TuneIn and dozens of others tech companies. CodeTalk broke down the stereotype I had of what a computer programmer looks like. CodeTalk prepares you to challenge yourself in ways that low-self esteem prevent us from ever imagining. CodeTalk begs women to start something big with three programming languages and keep going. Now I'm learning JS and C++. Once I learned one language I had to learn more. A testimony I would have never had if not for the supportive staff of women in this amazing program. read more

I attended the Culinary Training Program from March - April 2012. It was the biggest waste of my time. The 'Executive Chef' is completely self-serving and cares NOTHING about the students. He is only about his own self promotion and is a sub-par chef. There were many times when he either didn't show up or left early for personal reasons. He is condescending and arrogant. I learned absolutely nothing. When I was placed at my Externship they put me in a filthy rat infested place in Marina del Rey where the 'Head Chef' was a demeaning excuse for a chef. The food was disgusting and the kitchen absolutely violated a zillion health codes. The staff at St. Joseph's never even visited the site where I was placed. They felt so guilty that they placed me at a great place in Beverly Hills. However, I found out that they visited my classmates during their Externship but never once came out to see how I was doing - their reason was that it was too far to travel. Total crap of an excuse! All written tests were never returned so we never knew what we needed to work on. We were promised help with job placement but the staff never followed through. I was looked down upon because i was educated and smart. My passion for food meant nothing there. I was never given an opportunity to develop my skills. This program is a ridiculous excuse for culinary training. At best, the students are prepared to be dishwashers NOT cooks and certainly NOT chefs. Bottom line, The 'Executive Chef' seems obsessed with stroking his own ego and cares NOTHING about the students. NOTHING AT ALL! The program is a waste of funding. read more

They are terrible neighbors! When they were constructing the new building and debris was constantly covering our cars and our apartment windows,we contacted SJC's public relations person, she suggested we "pray to God for a change in the winds direction". Currently SJC's inconsiderate behavior is their childcare area with round the clock screaming from the children and the no attention from the staff. I would never trust my kids with SJC! read more

I have been a client of St. Joesphs for the past 2 1/2 or 3 months for housing services. The housing counselor they originally gave me appeared to be very helpful in the beginning but as time when on she proved to be unconcerned about helping the homeless. She wanted me to rest a room for $800 per month and insisted that I do so. Eventhough, I had stated to her that I didn't want shared housing. Why would I rent a room for $800 when I could rent a studio for $900. When I refused the room for rent she dropped me from the program stating that I wasn't cooperating. Then St. Joesphs came back to the shelter Im in sogned up all 170 oents and the next week the shelter put over half the clients out. It's not surprising to.me that St. Joesphs did this right before the billions of dollars where released to help the homeless. read more

Local grassroots non profit programs that take care of people in need. They don't just give away food and donations. They run job training programs that give people the skills to help themselves. read more

Five stars review most likely was written by the workers. As a client of the center, I am going to notice, they promise a lot and use each of you ONLY as a number. They DO NOT help to either stabilize nor empower your life, just misleading you. Numbers on their website about how many families get helped, how many women were empowered by theirs organization- lie, lie, misleading information. Totally misleading statistics. As soon as you sign for service with them, they will hold you forever in the loop, but you will get NOTHING at the end. You will feel frustrated. I am a single parent, on disability, were homeless with kids, DV victim. As very-very low-income family, for example, we received less than $100 gift card for grocery store PER YEAR at the Christmas time. That it. Is that sound like empowering and stabilizing ??? I wish all St.Joseph Center sponsors and donors will know and understand where the money goes. As more centers like this, we'll have, as long we'll allow them to lie and mislead poor, more homeless and broken people we will have. read more

I really wish more people were aware of the transformative services offered at St. Joseph Center. I did the Front End Web Development program, Codetalk, and now I have real skills to get a decent job. A lot of programs help people to get minimum wage jobs but here they help people to get living wage jobs. I am truly grateful for the wonderful people here. read more

The city gives approxiamately $11,000,00.00 (Eleven million) dollars a year to this center. They are seldom seen in Venice. Neighboors are angry with encampments in the neighborhood. The money does not go to those in need. Services are sketchy at best. read more

St Joseph's center has been an invaluable resource for me and many friends. All the programs and employees have been exceptional. The center provides services for everyone of all age groups regardless of religious background. We need a center like this in every neighborhood. read more

I was a student of the Codetalk program at St. Joseph Center. It program helped me transform my life. I now have a skill that is in demand and well paid. With out St. Joseph Center I would be lost. Everyone in the center is so caring and made me feel confident in myself again. read more

I am trying to locate my brother, J Johnson, of Venice CA. He called about a week ago from The St Joseph Center. We do not have long distance service on our landline telephone. I sent him a couple of emails, but have not gotten an answer. If you know him, tell him to email me. read more

If I were a philanthropist or donor I wouldn't dare donate money to this organization. St. Joseph likes to pretend they are helping people behind a facade of merely a business. When they moved to the new location they changed management and fired staff that had worked for them for 30 years or longer; they spent a ton of money opening up the new thrift store and raised the prices. The staff are mainly the biggest problem. They belittle the clients and treat them as a number. It's no longer about compassion or realistic goals rather just giving handouts to keep the homeless somewhat comfortable and not really giving the families tools to go anywhere in life. Oh and get this for Christmas they have the families fill out requests for gifts and when the day arrives for them to pick the gifts up they usually don't have anything they asked for or maybe just one or two things and then they stuff their bags with other donated stuff from throughout the year; I don't know what really becomes of the money and real gifts that the donors donate but it sure doesn't go to the families. I don't care how many Celebrities endorse this place St. Joseph IS NOT what it says it stands for or what it pretends to be. The staff aren't really that friendly the receptionist (who they just replaced) and the security are condescending. read more

I have lived within a short walking distance of St. Joseph Center for 23 years, and I know many people who have benefited from its services. SJC helps people change their lives in so many positive ways. What someone who lives in Malibu or Orange County thinks of the good people there is of no interest to me. I regard St. Joseph Center as a genuine blessing in our Santa Monica/Venice community. The folks who have posted vile comments below really should check their privilege. read more

This review is for a program that is held at St Joseph Center, called Codetalk. I don't know about the rest of St. Joseph bc I have not taken part in their other programs (although I have a relative who participate in the Food Pantry, and she is the person who told me about the program I am reviewing.) Codetalk is an immersive three month web development training program for low income women. We are now in the last month of classes. Codetalk has taught me web development skills in HTML, CSS, Javascript, and more. It gives you the tools you need to begin your journey as a web developer---whether you want to work solo or for a company. Codetalk gives you the opportunity to work on valuable group projects where you get to develop your skills in a specific area while working as part of a team. I am learning a lot in this phase of the program. The Codetalk workload consists of creating several webpages for your portfolio. Some of the webpages are created solely by you, others are created in groups. Near the end of the course you create a wordpress portfolio webpage that exhibits all the work you did in Codetalk. Codetalk is a very thorough web developmment course because it teaches you how to handcode sites with html, css, and javascript, as well as how to customize a wordpress site. They even pay for the wordpress website theme. Wordpress websites are a popular choice nowadays for website creation. In addition to creating the websites themselves, you also learn all about the process of uploading them and making them live (a very important part of web development.) During this program water and snacks are provided, and frequent breaks are condoned. Codetalk also endorses a healthy lifestyle and healthy choices, so be prepared for wellness and relaxation activities that are also part of their curriculum. I would recommend Codetalk as a program for someone who is looking for a life change, or who needs a break from their job, or who wants to learn new skills. My advice is: keep your head in your books, chill when you go home each day (class is a strenuous daily experience 9-1pm M-F) and just remind yourself how glad you will be when it is all over and you have all those added tools to your job skills set! Codetalk emphasizes a creative process of journaling, to write about your experiences and feelings for the day. It also has a student portal that contains all the class tutorials. You get to review these tutorials even after you graduate..............so no need to worry about forgetting what you know. Codetalk also features several invaluable guest speakers. You can learn from their experiences and advice....you can even connect with them on LinkedIn to build a professional network. (In addition to networking with your classmates.) Lastly, Codetalk provides you with a laptop that you can keep if you successfully finish the course. read more

My name is terry barker and I am a client of yours at the West LA VA payee program. The folks there really being good to me and for me. They have been an essential brick in my recovery. Helping me manage my money. being assertive with me when they are trying to get a point across. So I write this review inter disappointed frame of mind. my Social Security check comes in on the 3rd of every month unless it turns on the weekend and then it comes in the first or second. Well you folks were going to be close Friday April 3rd. I won't be able to come in and get my allowance of bill paying money until April the 6th. you post had a covenant with me. I had you to help me manage my money. And you folks would see to it that I got my money on Check day. I am deeply disappointed. I am angry.!! By delaying my getting my Social Security check money money to pay for bills you have broken our covenant. I can't pull out of the payee program because it's an integral part of my recovery from gambling. I have 3 years abstinence from gambling. And the st. Joseph's Center at the West LA VA and the folks who work there have been an integral part of my recovery. That is crappy service. I am writing this in the Review Center because I want more than one person at your folks shutter and the folks who read the reviews I want them to see it also. The Saint Joseph center are supposed to be the good guys not the bad guys. And the point being I cannot afford to take my money away and manage my own money because it might be a trigger for me to relapse and start gambling again. I have a real fear of that. I am so deeply disappointed. that you would schedule something like this when the checks are coming in. You have to know there was going to be a problem. And you didn't CARE!!! I really hope that this problem is handled properly, because there are lots of other people in the same boat. you folks have my email address. If you want to contact me today or between now and next Friday, please do so. I look forward to your excuse for putting me in other gentleman and possibly ladies in a hole. I really really do. Sincerely, Terry Michael Barker. read more