Los Angeles, a city known for its uber-wealthy and A-list celebrities, all a facade to the decreasing affordability of housing which has had unamendable impacts on countless individuals. With the cost of living on a continuous rise, many Los Angeles residents, also called Angelenos, have been burdened by an increase in rent and pricing of homes. This strain on the community has led to mass displacement and homelessness which has impacted the economic stability of the city, while simultaneously increasing social inequality in a once vibrant and diverse community. These financial strains within the community have led to gentrification of once cultural paradises within the city, impacting the social fabric of neighborhoods. This grapple to find affordable housing within Los Angeles is further embattled due to wage stagnancy, economic inequality and lack of housing availability. This leads to even middle-class families spending a majority of their income on a home and in turn not being able to afford essentials such as healthcare, education and means of transport. Oftentimes these families are forced to move which increases stress levels, uproots children from educational institutions and impacts the customer base for local businesses. This prevents Los Angeles from being able to create a sustainable and inclusive city which provides stable and safe housing options alongside a thriving community base. With nonprofit and government involvement on the issue increasing, it is important, for them and the community, to create solutions which inspire tenacity and justice for all, allowing for Los Angeles to return to its former, diverse glory.
As a native of Los Angeles, I have gotten to experience the culture and diversity of the city however from a unique standpoint. I grew up in an affluent portion of the city which allowed me access to quality education, extracurricular opportunities and a bubble of safety. As I grew older and was able to drive, I unlocked a different part of Los Angeles that was vastly different from what I had ever known it to be. These areas, just miles from me, were filled with such diversity and an abundance of heritage that I had not known existed. However in these supercenters of culture I also discovered the underlying challenges that they were facing. The most prominent issue that I began to notice driving through these different areas of LA was housing, opening my eyes to the issue of affordability and accessibility within the city. Growing up I heard of rising property values and investment opportunities, which to me seemed to be a positive thing, not knowing what this meant for a majority of Angelenos. Hearing stories from new friends and various families about how they were affected by these skyrocketing prices upset me, oblivious to these hardships occurring in my backyard. Through my majoring in Sustainable Development, I have learned about the greater impact of housing affordability on a community, both socially and economically. With this growth in knowledge, it upsets me when I return home as I now am aware of the general challenges that many around me are facing. From financial decisions between paying rent or for food to healthcare access, this issue of affordability within the city is much more noticeable and its impacts on communities rapidly expanding.
The pushing out of individuals from their neighborhoods to low-income areas have caused an increase in violent behaviors and gang activity. With people struggling to pay their bills as a result of rising living costs they often become more susceptible to engaging in illegal activities as a means of income. From selling illegal substances to committing money related crimes, individuals feel hopeless in their current way of life and resort to criminal activities that can help support their financial needs. This feeling of desperation due to displacement also increases gang activity as a way to feel safe and included within a community that they feel has wronged them. Gang activity also increases in areas of these increased housing prices as individuals don’t feel that they are heard or supported by local law enforcement which causes them to act out. Involvement in gangs and criminal groups also serves as a means of security in times of unknowing, feeling that they are heard and protected by others that have been outcast from their way of life. Many are unable to access extracurricular activities and outlets as they don’t have the means to do so which further pushes them towards gangs. This not only hurts those that are involved as they are surrounded by violence but also hurts the surrounding economy as these illegal activities impact the community well-being. By becoming so prevalent within an area, gangs are often monitored closely by law enforcement and stereotyping becomes more common within those areas which in turn causes those being stereotyped to join a gang as a retaliation. Many don’t want to join these groups however feel a need to as they are now surrounded by them. When being forced to move into a new area due to skyrocketing housing costs, many are exposed to situations in which they have never seen before and in turn begin to feel obligated to join in order to fit into their new surroundings. Efforts to reduce this increase in gang activity within Los Angeles have been made, hoping to deter youth from engaging in criminal activity. Volunteers of America Los Angeles is a non-profit within the city that works to help both gang-involved youth as well as those that are at high risk for becoming involved (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2021). They hope to inspire other forms for outlet rather than falling into the cycle of violence, something seen far too commonly within LA. Though efforts are being made to reduce such cycles from recurring, it is difficult to manage with more and more being pushed into these areas of high risk due to increasing housing prices.
The increase in violent behaviors and gang-related activities with neighborhoods has a detrimental impact on education levels within the city. Due to individuals having to uproot their children from previous schools because of housing issues, their access to education, as well as quality of it, are changed significantly. From overcrowding within schools to negative environments for learning, many children’s ability to learn is impacted negatively. Even with gifted students, oftentimes this move to a lower-income area means the curriculum they are being taught is not to the standard at which they need to excel. Unable to afford outside institutions which can stimulate their minds, they often find themselves looking for an outlet that is detrimental to their personal wellbeing. The 21st Century California School Leadership Academy is a program designed to teach leaders how to create an environment which meets the needs of all students and inspires positive outcomes (Los Angeles County Office of Education). This program allows for previously uniformed leaders and teachers to promote change within their schools that help students of all backgrounds succeed. This includes implementing new curriculum into classrooms as well as offering advancement opportunities for gifted students.
On the other hand, it also provides leaders within schools the knowledge as to ways that help kids that do not want to work nor gain an education, which, sadly, is a majority of youth in low-income areas. Within LA, “57% of Los Angeles Unified students do not meet standards in English; 67.2% do not meet standards in math and 76% in science”
(Sequeira, 2024), which unfortunately limits opportunities for success in their futures. This is due to many youth in Los Angeles not being native English speakers which impacts their learning abilities and blocks them from gaining an education to the highest level. This lack of native english speakers within Los Angeles comes from a large Latinx community that have immigrated to the United States with no prior language experience. Though trying hard to emerge themselves within the American culture, many are forced to work low paying jobs just to make ends meet, preventing them from education opportunities that could help them better adjust.
Due to rising housing prices, oftentimes multiple jobs are needed in order to survive, many parents unable to keep track of their children’s education and attendance. This further harms the testing scores within the Los Angeles Unified School District as teachers can only do so much, needing the assistance of parents at home to aid their children’s education. This can also occur if a student were to stay in their old school following housing displacement, longer commute times resulting in lower student attendance as well as engagement when in class. While a majority of issues within the education system come from student population and teaching techniques, funding also plays a massive role. With housing becoming more unaffordable, property values can also see a stagnation or decline, resulting in less property taxes to support surrounding public schools. This lowering in public funding can reduce resources and programs available within these areas as schools are no longer able to support them. These programs differ between schools and oftentimes result in specialty classes and extracurriculars within the institution, leaving solely basic level classes as they serve a majority of the student class. In turn, class sizes are increased significantly which limits one on one interactions between teacher and student as well as educators being unable to provide the best possible teaching due to becoming overworked and under supported. This has inspired new corporations to arise within Los Angeles, providing educational opportunities for students in these underserved areas. Youth Champions is an example of a program that works to provide students from low-income areas with educational internships. Not only are thesestudents getting real world educational experiences, but also get paid for it as a way to inspire them to learn and participate. In 2022-23 Youth Champions, “Establish[ed] an internship model paying 258 students more than $178,000 to learn and enhance their potential” (Youth Champions) which has seen an increase in applicants and individuals working for a better future. The program operates through professional led workshops with focuses stemming from financial literacy to exploring potential career paths. These offer educational opportunities that are not found within typical public schools however that are needed to enter the real world. This program is just one example of many that are working to improve the lives of low-income students and provide them with a chance to enter a university, if they see fit, or even simply find a job that is beyond that of minimum wage. With rising housing prices, educational institutions have been faced with new challenges that require an adaption in order to best set students up for success in their future.
With housing affordability impacting so many across the city, health and well-being concerns are also on the rise, many unable to access institutions that provide them with medical and personal help. Health care access is one of the largest issues that Los Angeles residents in low-income areas have been faced with, a majority of them unable to pay the hefty fines and in turn leaving them susceptible to high out of pocket payments in times of need. From an accident to needing medical care due to disease, many are unable to pay for it which in turn causes debt to incur. While these payments can be reduced through healthcare insurance, many do not have access to money to pay those premiums. This is a very dangerous situation as many avoid seeking professional care due to the fear of facing increased financial strain on top of that already caused by housing prices. Many put themselves in dangerous situations and use unregulated medical practices as they are accessible and can provide the service for a fraction of the price. While this can be acceptable in very few situations, many times individuals in need find themselves in unsanitary locations which can, in turn, result in more health issues or even death. AltaMed is a non-profit organization that seeks to limit these disparities in healthcare access within Los Angeles, providing a multilingual network aimed at servicing low-income individuals with medical care (AltaMed). This allows individuals with access to not only general medical care but also specialties such as dental, women’s health, senior care and LGBTQ+ service, access to these rarely seen accessible to low-income communities. By providing these services, AltaMed gives the underserved of Los Angeles an opportunity to live a long, healthy life, something every individual should be awarded without the fear of additional financial pressure. The mental health crisis within the city is another crucial problem that has seen significant increase due to the rising housing costs. “Housing unaffordability, residential instability, and poor living conditions have all been linked to serious mental and physical health problems among adult residents, as well as developmental problems in children” (Clark, 2017). These issues spread from stress-related conditions to major depression, seriously impacting the well-being of communities.
Oftentimes these issues are overlooked in low-income areas as residents must continue working to survive and in turn hide what is going on inside them. They are oftentimes also unable to seek treatment to help them in bettering their mental state, programs inaccessible due to cost. Even in cases where individuals have medical insurance many times their coverage will not pay for issues surrounding mental health. This has led to a rise in controversy as many feel that insurance companies should provide assistance in care revolving around mental health as it impacts personal well-being, the thing insurance companies claim to be assisting in. Questions circling what one can do in this situation have been discussed with one article claiming that, “You can file an appeal that might lead your health insurer to reverse its decision, and if that fails, you can ask a government agency to review your case and potentially overrule the insurer” (Weiner 2024) , providing an option for individuals in this difficult situation. The overall medical well-being of an individual being the most important aspect of anyone’s life, regardless of financial situation. While I have been focused on well-being in terms of physical, medical health, nutritional health should be discussed as well. Many faced with these financial hardships due to the lack of housing affordability oftentimes are forced to choose between eating and paying rent. In many cases individuals choose not eating as they are more fearful of losing their home than providing themselves with nutrition. Though the sad truth, food prices in Los Angeles are also on the rise alongside housing with the price of food, “up 2.8 percent from a year ago” (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024), for both at home food as well as fast food. This raise in price for a necessity needed to survive harms the well-being of individuals, especially those already in times of need as they have a significantly reduced opportunity to purchase nutritious meals. Due to this prohibitive cost of food programs have been introduced that allow for individuals below a certain financial level to access nourishment. CalFresh is an example of a program that is aimed to help those in need with opportunities to eat daily. It provides individuals with an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card that allows them to shop at participating stores and restaurants in some cases, all paid for by the government. This relieves families, especially those in newly difficult situations, to access nutrition and feed themselves without the stress of choosing to eat over paying for accommodation. The overall well-being of individuals is crucial when examining the growing inequality in housing affordability as it goes beyond that of the environment and to the personal health of a living, breathing person.
While the effects of housing unaffordability have been discussed, the actual accessibility of new housing has not, the state providing, minimal, options to those in need. With the cost of living constantly on the rise within Los Angeles, the city and corporations have been forced into building and creating spaces where those displaced can move into. A majority of these housing units however are in areas of economic despair and known for violent behaviors as seen on the affordable housing map (California Housing Partnership, 2020). Though these properties are on the rise rehousing thousands, there is still inequality present, with many on the cusp unable to access these properties due to not fitting within the desired focus group.A Just like everything, there is a gray area that is hard to act on as they fail to fit within either side. This places individuals in falling conditions to face even more extreme hardships as they are unable to access these benefits, many times the lower middle class. This group of individuals make up a large portion of those facing hardship due to the housing crisis as they make more money than the homeless and jobless, however not enough to afford a home in current conditions. Due to this they are unable to directly access these new developments until they are on the streets, increasing the homeless population. Everyone In is an organization that works to prevent situations such as these happening stating that, “decades of policies [have] eviscerated our affordable housing supply and defunded the social safety nets which keep our most vulnerable neighbors in their homes” (Everyone In). They call out leaders for policies which have increased the pricing of homes within the city and forced many into homelessness, a situation that has irreparable damages on communities, families and individuals. Through the use of public funds, both government and state, grants have been created which are used to promote the welfare and safety of the growing homeless population as well as those on the cusp. The CDC Economic and Housing Development Division is one of the programs that has been developed that provides trusts and funds to those in need. The Affordable Housing Trust Fund is a prime example of their efforts as it focuses on using state and government funds to develop and rehabilitate multifamily rental housing within Los Angeles (LA County Housing, 2018). Through the growth in housing opportunities and programs such as these, the housing crisis can be combated which allows for overall city sustainability.
While affordable housing opportunities have been discussed alongside the overall wellbeing of individuals in these high-risk citations, further recommendations should be discussed revolving around how the community can work to help these initiatives as well.
To begin, the stereotyping around low-income individuals and communities should be discussed. Many within Los Angeles, especially in wealthier areas, have been raised with the misconception that these areas are filled with drug-addicts and immigrants, when in reality a growing majority of this population consists of previously middle-class citizens that have been heavily impacted by the increasing home prices. These individuals are now looked down upon and in turn face heavy inequality and bias which harms their way of life. Through community efforts to raise awareness about these changing neighborhoods, misconceptions of individuals in these situations can be alleviated. A majority of these individuals that are being displaced are peoples of color which raises the question as to why they cannot afford the rising housing costs. Even though Los Angeles has far surpassed the minority majority threshold, “the discrepancy in earnings between whites and people of color makes its income inequality even greater than the national average” (Szabo, 2019), which has resulted in wide displacement and homelessness due to the rising cost of housing. The community has the opportunity to change how people are viewed within low-income communities with local business owners implementing strategies that provide equal pay for staff, regardless of ethnic background. By eliminating the stereotypes within Los Angeles, one community at a time, wage equality and access to housing can be achieved.
The implementation of mutual aid within Los Angeles is an additional way in which community-based efforts can help alleviate issues surrounding housing affordability. Mutual aid refers to the collective effort within a community to share resources, give financial contributions and exchange skill sets to help better their surroundings. Through the use of this model, communities are able to provide those in need with assistance to help lower their pain in times of hardship. This can be anything from finding short-term housing for the displaced to buying goods as a community to provide those in need with. While helping on a physical standpoint, this also creates a feeling of solidarity within a community, strengthening their ability to work together in times of uncertainty. This mutual aid can also transfer into local businesses and communities coming together to provide housing options for those in dire need. From the conversion of abandoned lots and warehouses into temporary housing to using ADUs to house the displaced, communities are able to get more people off the street and into a safe environment. While many will combat this as a viable option, it is possible if the individuals helping have prior knowledge of the person in need, lowering the risk of something negative happening. While this has traces back to the inequality within housing availability, it still helps some which has a positive effect on the community. All in all, the participation of the entire community to help those in despair can help amend the growing complications caused by the lack of housing affordability.
Similar to programs discussed previously, the implementation of non-profit programs within the city can have significant, positive, impacts on low-income communities. Programs such as Youth Champions and AltaMed are examples of how community-based startups can increase the livelihoods of many in distress. Through community efforts, new programs are able to be born which can assist in providing services and opportunities for low-income neighborhoods. Things such as food banks, educational experiences and community stores can have a significant influence on the wellbeing of the displaced and homeless. By alleviating the financial stress of food, clothing and extracurriculars, the community is able to help others focus on finding housing and living a healthy lifestyle. By coming together and providing a service or access to products communities can better the day to day life of those facing times of hardship and in turn boost morality in uncharted times.
While community efforts can be made to help those in need as a result of housing unaffordability, the only real way to alleviate the issue is by providing affordable housing options and lower property prices in gray areas. The L.A. County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency is an example of an organization that is working to provide affordable housing and alleviate the growing homelessness issue. They focus their efforts on developing in areas often seen as ‘nicer’ rather than where crime is rampant and property costs are lowered. This allows individuals to live comfortably within an affordable house or apartment unit while also presiding in an area that has lower violence and better education than the majority of other units. The company also provides emergency rent assistance while continuing to build affordable housing options to meet what is needed for the region (LACAHSA). This is an example of how powerful corporations can have a positive impact on the community rather than developing for wealth. By utilizing resources to provide for the masses, organizations such as these can change the landscape of affordable housing in Los Angeles.
Conclusion
All in all, the housing issue within Los Angeles has had detrimental impacts on communities socially, educationally and developmentally. The impact of housing affordability has been seen throughout various communities of the city with homelessness and displacement on the rise. This hurts not only local economies but also the development of the city towards equality. Through the inclusion of community-led programs helping the underserved in hand with offering short-term housing options, the complications surrounding skyrocketing housing costs can be alleviated. While not perfect, the local population can make a difference within Los Angeles, even without the help of the government. By recognizing that everyone is a person and limiting violence due to inequality, a major difference can be initiated, bettering the lives of the majority and returning Los Angeles to its previous glory, diverse and inclusive.
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