Santa Ana, CA

Santa Ana is a vibrant and dynamic community known for its rich culture, local businesses, and thriving arts scene. Each weekend, more than a million visitors come to experience everything the city has to offer. Yet for many of the families who call Santa Ana home, daily life comes with significant economic challenges. Santa Ana, located in Orange County, California, has a population of approximately 332,318 residents (2019). Nearly 18% of residents live below the poverty line—considerably higher than both the California average (11.8%) and the national average (10.5%).

Families across the city often face the pressures of rising housing costs, limited access to resources, and economic instability while raising children in a densely populated urban environment. These challenges can make it difficult for many young people and families to access the support, education, and opportunities they need to build a stable future.

At Mix Academy, we believe every young person deserves the chance to learn, grow, and succeed. By providing meaningful programs, mentorship, and resources, we are working to empower and strengthen the Santa Ana community.

One in five residents of the city of Santa Ana lacks the goods and services that guarantee their inclusion in society.

Every weekend, more than a million visitors come to experience the city's art, food, and culture, yet the city has its challenges. Santa Ana, Orange County, California, has a population of 332,318 inhabitants (2019)¹ of which 17.7% live below the poverty line. Being its rate significantly higher than that of the entire State of California (11.8%), as well as the country as a whole (10.5%).

Four out of every five students have an immigrant parent. About 76.6% of the total population are Hispanic or Latino. Many families face the obstacles of living in a dense urban environment. High rental rates, limited resources, few employment opportunities, and a strained school system are all contributing factors.

¹ census.gov

MIX Impact

At MIX Academy, we provide a welcoming gathering space where individuals and families can recharge, build confidence, and experience the joy of community. Our programs are designed to strengthen social connections and foster a sense of belonging, guided by values of cooperation, solidarity, and shared responsibility.

During California’s shelter-in-place orders, many families in Santa Ana faced significant hardship as jobs and income were disrupted. Households already living near or below the poverty line, as well as neighbors experiencing homelessness, struggled to afford groceries and essential supplies. At the same time, many students and at-risk youth faced challenges adapting to remote learning and maintaining stability during a difficult period.

In response, MIX Academy expanded its support efforts to meet the growing need. Since March 2020, we have served more than 2,000 people each week through our Food Love Distributions, helping provide essential food and supplies to families throughout the community.

At the MIX Academy we provide a meeting space that serves as a retreat to recharge courage, confidence and the joy of life together, to build social ties and a sense of community, where cooperation, solidarity and self-management are our permanent values.

California’s shelter-in-place order has left the Santa Ana community that we direct our services, severely vulnerable. With no income, families living below the poverty line and our neighbors experiencing homelessness are unable to afford groceries and essential supplies. This is especially devastating for our undocumented demographic who cannot file for unemployment support. At the same time, many of the at-risk youth are struggling with the adjustment to online school.

The quarantine has halted our normal programming, but we are responding to the exponential growth in need as best we can. Since March 2020 we have served over 2000 people per week through our Food Love Distributions. We have also made a transition from onsite to online personal enrichment classes.

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