Vernon Corridor

The Vernon Central Historic District, south of Downtown Los Angeles, became a "LANI neighborhood" in June 1997. Central Avenue, the backbone of the community, was a vibrant cultural center throughout the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. This "Little Harlem" was lined with jazz clubs and African-American merchants, and home to the historic Dunbar Hotel, one of the only luxury establishments serving African-Americans at the time. Unfortunately, the neighborhood has experience divestment and blight in recent years, but he recent renovation of the Dunbar, the initiation of LANI, and other collaborations mark the start of a community revitalization celebrating Central Avenues' historic riches.

Projects Completed ($795,550)

Comprehensive Community Work Plan
Street banners (100)
Community entryway monuments (2)
Decorative crosswalks
Street lights (64)
Sidewalk repair/replacement
Monument lighting

LANI Sustainable Organization

In accordance with LANI's program design, the Vernon-Central Recognized Community Organization (RCO) has become the sustainable community organization. The RCO continues its activities which include organizational development and neighborhood improvements. Within the past year the group secured $10,000 in Neighborhood Matching Fund grants and $5,000 from the Durfee Foundation Community Fund. The organization is working towards defining a long-term structure for their organization to continue their revitalization efforts.

LANI has continued to provide support services to Vernon-Central, but most of their activities are independent from LANI.

Additional Benefits of LANI Program

LANI grants leveraged with over $800,000 to date!

$5,000 in organizational development through a community fund grant from the Durfee Foundation
$838,100 in improved street lighting form the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Lighting
$21,000 in street improvements in the form of handicap ramps from the City of Los Angeles
$7,500 from Family Farms Market for a Memorial Park on their site

Other Partnerships

Through The City's Targeted Neighborhood Initiative program, $2.5 million was invested in Vernon-Central over the past five years in public facilities and improvements and clean and safe program services.

Contacts
Vernon-Central Historic District Recognized Community Organization: Mary Wong President (323) 234-3924	Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative (LANI): Monica Carlos, Program Manager monica@lani.org (213) 627-1822 Ext. 15	Councilmember Jan Perry's Office: Loma White, Field Representative (323)-846-2651

Asian Population Percentage	Black Population Percentage	Hispanic Origin Population Percentage	White Population Percentage	Per capita Income
Unemployment Rate	Median House Value	Vehicle Available Rate	Percentage of Population Under Poverty Level	Transit Commute Rate
Project Map	Household Size

Demographics:
	Median Family Income: $23,947 per year Per-Capita Income: $8,164 Average Household size: 4.6 Employment Rate: 56% Percent Using Public Transportation: 24% Percent of People Carpooling: 18.6%