The devastation of drug and alcohol addiction is all too real in the communities of South Los Angeles. Many lack the resources necessary to overcome these diseases. In these communities, Black and Brown addicts are often overlooked and casted away unsympathetically.But the national attitude toward drug addiction is entirely different.

You don’t normally associate entrepreneurs with potential solutions to homelessness. That’s exactly what Joe Patel, managing partner of Nikki Investments, a real estate development group, wants to change. “If we don’t become part of the solution then who do we turn to? You can’t just rely on the government,” Patel says.