Dulce Rosales

Dulce Rosales is 23 years old and lives in Pacoima with her four-year-old son. Most recently, she has been working on a project in her neighborhood to plant trees as part of the Corps’ participation in the Transformative Climate Communities program.

As a resident of Pacoima since 2016, Dulce has first-hand experience knowing that her community lacks the abundance of shade trees found in other more leafy, affluent parts of Los Angeles. She sees tangible impacts stemming from her work as a Corpsmember: “The trees we plant through the TCC project will really cool down the city.”

Seeing the benefits of her work in the neighborhood makes the job very fulfilling. “It’s not just something I’m doing 9-5 to make money,” she says. “It’s affecting my community directly. That’s what I love about it and why I’m sticking with it.”

Before joining the Corps, Dulce struggled to find satisfying work because she felt that she lacked experience and skills. The Corps brought her out of her comfort zone while building her resume and skills in everything from how to wield a shovel and weed whacker to communications and writing skills.

Dulce says the Corps has given her the confidence and flexibility to go to school and work. She is now also enrolled in a medical phlebotomy program to further her goal of supporting the health of her neighbors.

Throughout 2021, the Corps hase been participating in a unique partnership with the City of Los Angeles, other social service agencies, and the for-profit company Pallet out of Seattle to build hundreds of tiny home style shelters for people experiencing homelessness.

Each shelter is self-contained and is outfitted with beds, shelving, climate control, electricity, and safety features. Shelters can be assembled in less than 30 minutes each with minimal tools, and offer essential features compared to tents and other improvised shelter alternatives. The design of the shelter structures also makes them easy to clean when transitioning between occupants, an important consideration during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pallet employees at the company’s Seattle-based factory headquarters – the majority of whom have lived experience in homelessness, addiction, or the criminal justice system themselves –manufacture and ship shelter panels to assembly sites, where Corpsmembers work in teams to complete final assembly. Assembly of the prefabricated shelters allows Corpsmembers to build skills in construction, critical thinking, time management, and teamwork. In addition, the project has had a personal impact on many Corpsmembers who have experience with housing insecurity.

Each village of shelters that has been constructed by Corpsmembers is being managed by a partner nonprofit that specializes in working with people experiencing homelessness. They provide a variety of case management and barrier removal services to occupants.