When Portland-area union members are laid off, fall behind on rent, or can’t buy Christmas presents for their families, Labor’s Community Service Agency (LCSA) steps in to help. LCSA was founded in 1974 as a way for local union members to aid their union siblings and the community at large. It provides direct cash assistance to union members who can’t make rent or utility payments through its Helping Hands program. It refers unhoused union members to transitional housing in a partnership with Do Good Multnomah. Finding those to helpLCSA helps union members who have been referred by their union — 1,039 of them in 2024.