Our Work In Pomona

In May 2021, the Living Hope Foundation (LHF) purchased one property with three (3) addresses in the historic downtown district of Pomona, California; 260 E. 2nd Street, 290 E. 2nd Street, and 269 S. Gibbs Street. What began as a vision for creating a place of welcome, opportunity, and hope has grown into an active community initiative serving our neighbors in downtown Pomona.

Through this property, LHF is building a connected community hub where people can find practical resources, meaningful relationships, educational opportunities, employment pathways, and support for their physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Our work is centered on a simple belief: every person is sacred, worthy of dignity, and deserving of the opportunity to flourish. LHF also provides free Wi-Fi and public-access laptops to help underserved community members access the internet, build digital literacy, pursue education and employment, and participate more fully in today's economy.

Sospeso

Our primary expression of this vision is Sospeso, located at 290 E. 2nd Street. The café and teaching kitchen are social enterprises of LHF that opened in March 2026 and is being developed as a welcoming gathering place where hospitality, community, food, education, employment, and opportunity come together.

Sospeso currently operates a café and community space offering coffee, tea, pastries, sandwiches, homemade Italian gelato, and other food options. The space is also being developed to include a teaching kitchen, community programming, and opportunities for residents to gather, learn, and build relationships.

Sospeso is intentionally more than a café. It is part of LHF's effort to create a community hub in an area of Pomona that has historically experienced significant economic and social barriers. Through Sospeso, we seek to create opportunities for people to connect with one another, access resources, develop skills, and experience a genuine sense of belonging.

To learn more about Sospeso and what we are building in downtown Pomona, please visit Sospeso Pomona.

Community Health & Wellness

Beginning in August 2026, Sospeso began hosting a monthly Community Health Fair in partnership with local healthcare, educational, and community organizations. The health fair provides free health screenings and creates a welcoming point of access for community members who may otherwise experience barriers to healthcare.

In addition to health screenings, participants may receive resources such as free groceries, hygiene kits, Metro and bus cards, health insurance assistance, and help accessing or scheduling medical appointments. We are grateful for the many community partners who join us in breaking down barriers to healthcare and helping our neighbors access resources that can improve their health and well-being.

Our goal is not simply to provide a resource for a day, but to build relationships and walk alongside people over time.

Sospeso Thrift Shop

Located in the basement of 260 E. 2nd Street, the Sospeso Thrift Shop is currently being developed with an anticipated opening in Winter 2026. The Thrift Shop will provide affordable clothing and small household goods to Pomona residents, made possible through the generosity of individuals and organizations who donate items for the community.

Our goal is to make quality, useful goods accessible at prices that are affordable for local families and individuals. When someone is able to purchase an item, we believe there is dignity in giving that person the opportunity to choose what they need and to purchase it at an affordable price. For those who cannot afford even these modest prices, we will also make items available at no cost.

In this way, the Thrift Shop is more than a place to purchase secondhand goods. It is another expression of our commitment to dignity, belonging, and community. We are grateful to the many donors whose generosity makes it possible to extend the usefulness of clothing and household items while helping ensure that our neighbors have access to things they may otherwise be unable to afford.

The Thrift Shop will also provide opportunities for job training, workforce development, and community engagement, further connecting it to LHF's broader mission of creating pathways to employment, opportunity, and belonging.

Pomona Learning Loft

At 260 E. 2nd Street, LHF operates the Pomona Learning Loft (PLL), a community-centered educational and workforce development space created to provide greater opportunity and support for students and families in Pomona.

LHF has partnered with the Pomona Unified School District (PUSD) and its public charter school, the School of Extended Educational Options (SEEO). Through an exclusive Facilities Use Agreement, SEEO operates at the Pomona Learning Loft, with its high school teachers, administrators, and counselors located at the PLL on a full-time basis.

This partnership provides PUSD's independent high students with a welcoming place where they can receive their education and access the support of teachers, counselors, and administrators in a setting intentionally designed around dignity, belonging, and opportunity. Students who may have struggled in traditional educational environments can come to the PLL and Sospeso campus and experience a community where they are welcomed, known, and treated with respect.

The partnership also creates opportunities for LHF and SEEO to work together with community organizations and businesses to provide students with mentoring, job-readiness skills, technology, educational resources, and exposure to pathways beyond high school. Our hope is that every student who enters the PLL understands that their circumstances do not define their potential and that they have a community willing to walk alongside them.

The PLL is part of LHF's broader vision for a connected community hub in downtown Pomona, one where education, employment, health, hospitality, and community support come together to create meaningful opportunities for individuals and families to flourish.

Workforce Development & Career Readiness

The Sospeso campus is also becoming an important workforce development site for young people in the Pomona community. Sospeso is an approved worksite for a California Workforce program, allowing us to provide at-risk youth with hands-on training, workplace experience, and practical job skills that can help prepare them for future employment.

Sospeso is also an approved worksite for the Pomona Unified School District's WorkAbility program, providing young adults with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) the opportunity to gain meaningful work experience while developing valuable employment and life skills. Through these partnerships, participants can learn in a real workplace, build confidence, develop relationships, and discover their own abilities and potential.

These programs reflect LHF's commitment to creating pathways rather than simply providing resources. We want young people, including those who may have faced educational, economic, or other barriers to have the opportunity to learn, contribute, and experience the dignity that comes from being trusted with meaningful work.

Employment & Second Chances

A central part of LHF's mission is creating meaningful opportunities for people who have experienced barriers to employment. We believe that a person's past should not define the possibilities of their future.  Sospeso is committed to hiring and supporting formerly incarcerated individuals and others who have struggled to find meaningful employment. In September 2026, Sospeso hired a young man who had spent 24 years incarcerated, from the age of 18 to 42, and who was unable to find employment after his release. He has become an extraordinary asset to the Sospeso community, bringing his experience, determination, and compassion to his work and helping others who face similar barriers.  His story is one example of what we hope to make possible: not simply a job, but an opportunity to rebuild, contribute, belong, and help others.

Counseling & Community Support

At 269 S. Gibbs Street, LHF is creating space for counseling and other community-based support. We believe that mental and emotional well-being are essential components of caring for the whole person. We continue to develop partnerships and programming that can make supportive resources more accessible to individuals and families in the community.

Building Through Partnership

None of this work happens alone. LHF is committed to developing strong, lasting relationships with local residents, schools, healthcare providers, businesses, churches, nonprofits, universities, the city of Pomona, and other community organizations. Our approach is one of partnership rather than prescription. We seek to listen first, understand the needs and strengths of the community, and walk alongside our neighbors as we work together toward greater health, opportunity, dignity, and belonging.

What began in 2021 as the purchase and renovation of a neglected downtown property has become an ongoing expression of our hope for Pomona. We are grateful for the opportunity to invest in this community and to build something that we pray will continue to create spaces of welcome, healing, opportunity, and renewal for years to come.

Prayer Requests

  1. For Our Pomona Neighbors

    Please join us in praying for the individuals and families of Pomona, particularly those who experience poverty, isolation, food insecurity, barriers to healthcare, unemployment, or other challenges. May every person know that they are seen, valued, worthy, and beloved.

  2. For Sospeso and Our Community Initiatives

    Pray that Sospeso and our other programs will continue to become places of genuine belonging, opportunity, healing, and hope. May everyone who enters our doors experience dignity and welcome.

  3. For Our Community Partnerships

    Pray for the many organizations, businesses, schools, healthcare providers, universities, churches, and individuals who partner with us. May these relationships be rooted in trust, humility, collaboration, and a shared commitment to the flourishing of our community.

  4. For Our Staff, Ambassadors, and Supporters

    Pray for the people who give their time, talents, resources, and energy to make this work possible. May they be renewed in spirit and reminded that their contributions help create opportunities and hope for others.

  5. For Sustained Support and Wisdom

    Pray that LHF will have the wisdom, resources, relationships, and perseverance necessary to continue this work faithfully. May we remain attentive to the needs of our neighbors and faithful to our calling to embody hope through compassionate presence and action.

Nondiscrimination Statement

Living Hope Foundation welcomes all people to our services, programs, and employment opportunities. We do not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other status protected by law. While our mission is inspired by faith, participation in our programs does not require any religious affiliation or belief.