-Every week, the Skid Row Running Club meets downtown for their morning routine.

“Good, how are you?” -The Los Angeles-based group organizes regular early morning runs for people at risk of homelessness and addiction.

They are among a handful of programs run by various organizations all aimed at getting unhoused Californians, who are statistically more likely to have health problems, to exercise with the community.

Retired judge Craig Mitchell is the founder of the Skid Row Running Club.

“People who suffer from addiction are oftentimes isolated from their family.

They've lost their jobs.

They are unhoused.

And, so... to find yourself Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays with a group of people who understand your experience, understand the challenges that you face, our runners just want to be here.” -Nearly half of the unhoused Californians surveyed by the Benioff Homeless and Hous Initiative in 2023 described their heath as fair or poor, and 60% reported having at least one chronic health condition.

Among the most common chronic health problems were hypertension, asthma, heart conditions, and diabetes.

Exercise programs geared toward homeless participants are few and far in between, and research on their outcomes is limited.

A UK study looking at the benefits of exercise among unhoused people found the majority of participants improved their mental health and blood pressure.

“I went to court and asked the judge if I could run with his running club.

I was on house arrest, weighing 300 pounds, couldn't come out, not even an hour outside my house.” -Julio Avalos, a Skid Row Run Club member who was unhoused years ago, credits the group for a positive impact on his mental and physical well-being.

“I'm excited to live.

I'm excited to keep on running.

I'm excited to be around loving and caring people that are having back of me right now.” -For CalMatters, I'm Robert Meeks with reporting by Marisa Kendall.