Where can a Brazilian in trouble find real, concrete help in Los Angeles today? Pastor Miguel Albanês walks through the community work of the First Brazilian Baptist Church of Los Angeles (PIBBLA) — and makes it clear you don't have to be Baptist, or religious at all, to use it. It is the subject of the third episode of the "911: Emergency in Los Angeles" segment.

Dinner: Sunday, ~6 p.m. · Laundry: Friday, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. · 850 Venice Blvd, CA 90015

Sunday dinner, open to everyone

Every Sunday, after the 4 p.m. service, the church serves a free dinner, around 6 p.m. "If you're on your own, don't go hungry," the pastor says. He recalls people who showed up out of work, people living in their cars, people who "got into a jam" after a crash took away their car and their job in one blow. When there is food left over, those who need it can take it home. On a recent Sunday, a young man going through a rough patch felt embarrassed when the pastor offered — "people do," he acknowledges — but he took it.

Free laundry on Fridays

On Fridays, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., a laundry trailer parks at the church — in the parking lot or on the street out front — through a program run in partnership with the City and County of Los Angeles. You drop off your clothes, the crew washes and dries them, and tells you when to pick them up. Children's clothes and the whole family's laundry are welcome. It is completely free and, according to the pastor, has served around thirty people a day. The service is designed for people experiencing homelessness or in transition, but not only for them: "Even if he has a place to live, if he needs it, we're there."

Counseling in Portuguese and English

The church has also started offering counseling for couples and individuals, with a professional who is not yet licensed, registered with the state and practicing under the supervision of a licensed clinician, and who speaks Portuguese and English — useful for couples where one partner speaks only English and the other only Portuguese. Ask for the registration number and who the supervisor is. If there is violence in the relationship, seek individual counseling, not couples counseling. The service is not entirely free: it is charged at cost. The fee is given at the church before the first session.

The pastor also clears up a distinction that confuses many Brazilians: in California, as a rule, the title of psychologist is reserved for people with a doctorate and a license from the California Board of Psychology. Below that level there are state-licensed professionals with master's degrees in mental health fields — such as marriage and family therapists (LMFT), professional clinical counselors (LPCC) and clinical social workers (LCSW) — who also see clients in private practice. Before starting with any professional, you can verify the license on the website of the state board that issues it.

Furniture, jobs and events

The church also works as a point of reference for newcomers: it receives job offers, passes donated furniture on to people who have just arrived — Jason Lanzarini promises to donate a bed during the recording — and hosts events open to the Community on dates such as Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve.

Where it is — and watch the ZIP code

PIBBLA is at 850 Venice Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90015, downtown, near the interchange of the 10 and 110 freeways, within walking distance of Crypto.com Arena and the Convention Center. The pastor has a warning: when you type the address into your GPS, check the 90015 ZIP code. There is a similar address near Venice Beach, and many people end up in the wrong place.

Other free resources in the county

For anyone going through a hard time, a few official channels complement the church's work:

• 211 LA — dial 2-1-1 from any phone in Los Angeles County and a call center will refer you to food banks, shelters, help with bills and other services. It serves callers in many languages: when you call, say "Portuguese" and ask for an interpreter.
• Food banks — the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank has a locator for free food distributions by ZIP code.
• Community clinics — health care priced by income, as explained in another article in this series.

What comes up in the episode

The pastor and Jason agree to put together a list of the church's services, along with the series' emergency checklist. Jason, who knows PIBBLA from its year-end events, repeats the invitation: "Everyone watching at home, you're invited."

Sources and verification

• First Brazilian Baptist Church of Los Angeles — schedules and services as described by Pastor Miguel Albanês in the episode (April 2026); confirm with the church before going.
• 211 LA — Los Angeles County's information and referral line.
• Los Angeles Regional Food Bank — food distribution locator.
• California Board of Psychology and Board of Behavioral Sciences — licensing of psychologists and of therapists, counselors and clinical social workers.

Who's speaking here: Brasileiros em Los Angeles is the podcast of the Brazilian Community in the Los Angeles area, hosted by Jason Lanzarini, who has organized the Community's Facebook groups in California since 2014. This is the third and final episode of the series on the deaths of Brazilians in the "911: Emergency in Los Angeles" segment, with Pastor Miguel Albanês of the First Brazilian Baptist Church of Los Angeles (PIBBLA), who has supported families through these situations for years.

Note: the rules described apply to California and, in several points, to Los Angeles County. This text is general information, not legal advice; schedules and services change — confirm with the church.

Watch this part of the episode:

About PIBBLA: community support, counseling and free dinners — starting at 28:41 · ☆ Brasileiros em Los Angeles