501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization

Rebuilding Lives, Restoring Communities

Our Mission

Aim High Living is a grassroots, trauma-informed housing and crisis diversion incubator built by survivors of Los Angeles County's carceral, unhoused, and addicted systems. Led by our founder and CEO Mayra Martinez, we provide zero-barrier housing, intensive case management, crisis prevention, and peer-led group therapy for individuals who are reentering society, unhoused, and battling substance use disorders. Our mission is to permanently end the cycles of chronic homelessness, carceral reentry, and active substance abuse by meeting individuals exactly where they are—without punitive barriers—and surrounding them with lived-experience mentorship, resource navigation, and restorative accountability to help them rebuild their lives and heal our communities.

Who We Serve

We serve justice-impacted individuals, people experiencing chronic homelessness, and those battling active substance addiction in Paramount, East LA, Wilmington, Boyle Heights, South Central, and Whittier. Our leadership and direct staff reflect these communities entirely because we are from them. We are formerly incarcerated, former substance users, and formerly unhoused. We do not engage our community with clinical detachment; we engage them as neighbors and peers who have survived the exact same systemic struggles.

★★★★★ 5.0 GOOGLE RATING · SEPTEMBER 2026 ✓ VERIFIED 501(C)(3)Registered federally recognized non-profit organization. ✓ GUIDESTAR PLATINUM TRANSPARENCY 2026GuideStar Platinum Transparency recognition for 2026. ✓ EIN: 84-1962018
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Total Mentees Served

Annually through our 6-month intensive programs across all regional locations.

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Housing Placement Rate

Of program graduates successfully routed directly into stable independent housing within six months.

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Regional Housing Hubs

Wilmington, San Bernardino, South Central, Boyle Heights, East LA

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Years of Service

Serving Los Angeles & San Bernardino County since 2018.

Trusted Community Partners

Building Stronger Communities Together

JCOD
Compton Work Source AJCC
Clothes the Deal
Goodwill
Tri-State
GEO
CDCR
Mayra Martinez, Founder and CEO of Aim High Living
Founder & CEO
Established 2018

Our Origin

Operations began in 2018 in the heart of Wilmington, built on CEO and Founder Mayra Martinez's 20+ years of dedicated community service. What started as a grassroots commitment to mentees reentering society has grown into a comprehensive network of care.

From our original Wilmington home, we have expanded our footprint—meeting mentees where they are with institutional housing, mentorship, and tailored curriculum paths.

Mayra Martinez

Chief Executive Officer and Founder

Social Proof

Success Stories & Mentor Testimonials

Aim High Alumni

Aim High Alumni

Aim High Alumni

Community Voices

What Families Are Saying

“This program changed my life. I had nowhere to go and no one to turn to. Aim High Living gave me a home, a mentor, and a second chance.”

— Brian Oliver, Google Review

“The mentorship and support I received here helped me get back on my feet and reunite with my family. Forever grateful.”

— Charles Lafayette, Google Review

“Amazing organization doing real work in the community. The staff genuinely cares about every person who walks through their doors.”

— Michael Vera, Google Review

“As a probation officer, I have seen many programs. Aim High Living is the only one my clients consistently thank me for referring.”

— Officer D. Lewis, Google Review

Our Curriculum

Whole-Person Recovery & Reentry

An eight-week, trauma-informed journey from stabilization through recovery, reentry, relationships, communication, digital and financial capability, and independent housing.

The Impact of Stable Housing

A clean, furnished Aim High Living room with two beds, a desk, and natural light

A clean, furnished Aim High Living room prepared for safety, stability, and a fresh start.

Stabilization & System Navigation

  • Predictable routines, privacy, safety, and personal stabilization
  • Health, dental, vision, behavioral health, and prescription navigation
  • Benefits, identification documents, transportation, phone, and email access
  • Choice-based support that recognizes survival responses without shame

8-Week Whole-Person Curriculum

WEEK 1: Arrival, Decompression & Whole-Person Stabilization

Build predictable routines around privacy, sleep, food, hygiene, transportation, belongings, house expectations, grievances, emergencies, and personal choice—without requiring anyone to disclose private trauma.

WEEK 2: Health, Benefits, Documents & System Navigation

Create a practical pathway for identification documents, health coverage, medical and behavioral care, prescriptions, benefits, transportation, phone and email access, appointments, and safe document storage.

WEEK 3: Recovery Science, Personal Wellness & Safer Choices

Understand substance-specific risks, triggers, overdose response, medical warning signs, and multiple recovery options—including clinical care, medication, harm reduction, counseling, peer support, faith, and mutual aid.

WEEK 4: Reentry, Rights, Supervision & Reclaiming Choice

Organize supervision obligations, documentation, legal-aid referrals, rights questions, accommodations, and calm de-escalation strategies without offering legal advice or promising outcomes.

WEEK 5: Communication, Confidence & Healthy Presence

Practice introductions, listening, assertive requests, boundaries, interviews, appointments, landlord conversations, and conflict de-escalation in ways that respect culture, trauma, anxiety, and personal choice.

WEEK 6: Family Reunification, Accountability & Relationship Repair

Build accountability without shame, consent-based contact, safe boundaries, co-parenting and custody referrals, and relationship repair that respects another person’s right to say “not yet.”

WEEK 7: Digital, Employment & Financial Empowerment

Develop practical skills for email, calendars, online safety, résumés, fair-chance employment, banking, paystubs, taxes, budgeting, debt, credit reports, savings, and scam prevention.

WEEK 8: Housing Independence & the 30/60/90-Day Transition

Prepare for applications, leases, deposits, utilities, tenant resources, accommodations, realistic total housing costs, transportation, lasting supports, backup plans, and move-out readiness.

Aim High Living Featured on KTLA

Watch KTLA highlight Aim High Living's service to local families.

Video summary

KTLA's report highlights Aim High Living's community outreach and support for local families, showing how the organization brings partners and resources together to meet immediate needs.

Watch KTLA Coverage

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