Greater Sacramento Urban League

The Greater Sacramento Urban League empowers Black and other historically marginalized people throughout the Sacramento region to secure economic self-reliance, educational fulfillment, social justice and civil rights while living well, being well and thriving. Founded in 1968 as an affiliate of the National Urban League, it organizes its work around five pillars: civic engagement and leadership development, civil rights and racial justice, economic empowerment, education and youth, and health and quality of life. Services are based in two neighborhood hubs, the Empowerment Center on Marysville Boulevard in Del Paso Heights and the Youth & Families Center on Alhambra Boulevard in Oak Park, both open weekdays.

Employment is at the core of the Empowerment Center. The Sacramento Works Job Center there is open to the general public, offering one-on-one job coaching, workshops on resumes, interviews and dressing for success, computer and phone access for online applications, recruitment events and sponsored on-the-job training. Youth and young adults ages 16 to 24 get job readiness training and help landing a first job, while adults receive career counseling, occupational training and placement support. Job Talk, held the fourth Thursday of every month, brings an employer in to explain openings and hiring steps, and Thriving Thursdays offers weekly drop-in help with resumes, soft skills and networking. Digital literacy sessions build basic tech and online safety skills.

The Housing Counseling Center is a HUD-approved agency whose certified counselors meet by phone or in the office at no charge, in English and Spanish. They guide first-time buyers through budgets, credit and down payment assistance, help current homeowners weigh refinancing, work with families behind on their mortgage to explore alternatives to foreclosure, and advise renters and people facing homelessness. The live eight-hour Keys to HomeOwnership course meets homebuyer education requirements, and Golden 1 Credit Union leads financial wellness workshops at the Empowerment Center as part of the League's wealth building work.

The Youth & Families Center serves young people ages 12 to 25 and families of every size with mentorship, academic support, case management, parenting classes and help reaching county services. GSUL is the Oak Park incubator lead for the Black Child Legacy Campaign, a countywide effort to reduce the deaths of African American children, providing crisis response, resource distribution, intensive case management and the monthly Black Girls Heal and Black Boys 2 Men meetups for youth 13 and up. Kings and Queens Rise is an eight-week summer basketball league built around leadership, and First Class Kids offers after-school tutoring for foster youth in grades five through eight. The same building is home to allcove Sacramento, a drop-in center for youth mental health, physical health and peer support, and the Health and Quality of Life team adds Cut to the Chase conversations on Black men and therapy.

The League also advocates with local, state and federal officials on affordable housing, health disparities, criminal justice reform and living wages. Its calendar includes the Evening of Empowerment Awards Gala, the Juneteenth Run/Walk, the Empower365 report on the State of Black Sacramento and a Youth Summer Job Fair with on-the-spot interviews. Residents can walk into either center Monday through Friday, and supporters can donate, become members, volunteer as youth mentors or propose a partnership.