As the Founder and Executive Director of Project Ropa, I want to share the story behind our organization and why it exists.

I founded Project Ropa in 2016, inspired in part by a beloved family member who has lived for years with mental health challenges and chronic homelessness. Watching him navigate systems that consistently failed him—and seeing how he was denied access to services, employment, and housing simply because of his physical appearance—was a turning point for me. It became painfully clear that no one should be excluded from care or opportunity because they lack clean clothing. That injustice became the heart of Project Ropa.

Before starting the organization, I volunteered with several local nonprofits serving people experiencing homelessness and those transitioning into housing. During that time, I noticed a significant and often overlooked gap: access to clean, high-quality clothing, shoes, and accessories that were appropriate in size, style, and condition. While food and shelter are rightly considered essential, clothing is not—even though it is illegal to be in public without it. This contradiction leaves many people without access to a basic human need.

As I began speaking with organizations across Los Angeles County, I heard the same challenges again and again. Most lacked the staff, resources, or space to sort, store, and distribute clothing donations. Even when donations were available, they were often unusable due to poor condition or lack of organization. The burden of managing clothing fell on already overstretched teams, and the dignity of the experience for clients was often missing.

At the time, clothing distribution largely took place at brick-and-mortar sites with limited hours, eligibility restrictions, and minimal or poor-quality selection. The process was transactional, not human-centered.

In late 2016, I came across an article about Lava Mae, a mobile shower service for unhoused individuals. It sparked an idea: what if clean clothing could be offered alongside a hot shower—restoring not just hygiene, but humanity and self-worth? That question led to the creation of Project Ropa’s Mobile Clothing Closet, a one-stop service designed to help people feel seen, respected, and cared for.

In our early days, Project Ropa was entirely volunteer-run. I collected high-quality surplus clothing and shoes from individuals, nonprofits, and corporate partners—including manufacturers—and delivered them in my personal vehicle to service sites across the city. Clothing was neatly displayed on racks, and paired with mobile showers, people could leave with clean skin and clean clothes—often a first step toward renewed confidence and opportunity.

In 2019, thanks to the generosity of a donor, we purchased and retrofitted our first van into a Mobile Walk-In Closet. In 2020, we hired our first employee. Since then, Project Ropa has grown steadily. Today, we operate three mobile units and a warehouse, serving thousands of people annually across Los Angeles County with the support of dedicated staff, volunteers, and donors.

We’ve also expanded our reach through partnerships with community-based organizations, providing clothing and hygiene essentials to unhoused and low-income individuals and families in areas we don’t directly serve. These partnerships allow us to extend our impact while removing logistical burdens from frontline providers.

At its core, Project Ropa is not just about clothing or hygiene—it’s about correcting a quiet injustice: that people in crisis are often expected to accept what is leftover, impersonal, or dehumanizing. Our work consistently resists that. We insist on quality, cleanliness, thoughtful presentation, and choice because we believe people deserve to feel seen and respected, regardless of circumstance.

This purpose shows up in how we operate every day: processing and sorting items in-house so recipients receive things anyone would be glad to have; designing services that remove strain from partner organizations; centering dignity over efficiency, even when it’s harder; and building systems that quietly but consistently demonstrate care.

Since our founding, we’ve witnessed thousands of transformative moments—people walking away not just with clothing, but with a renewed sense of self, hope, and dignity. Something as simple as a clean outfit can change how someone is treated, how they feel, and what they believe is possible.

I am deeply proud of what we’ve built, and I know our work is far from over. As the challenges facing unhoused and housing-insecure individuals continue to grow, Project Ropa remains committed to expanding our reach, advocating for systemic change, and meeting people where they are—with compassion, respect, and care.

I hope you’ll join us in this mission to restore dignity, one article of clothing at a time.

With gratitude,
Caitlin Adler
Founder & Executive Director
Project Ropa