The student-led committee organizing Occidental’s first Homelessness Awareness and Action Week hosted a speaker panel titled “Homelessness in Los Angeles: A Discussion” Nov. 4. The panel had three speakers: Carlos Aguilar, who works with the Coalition for Economic Survival (CES); Monica Alvarez, Exodus Recovery’s Coordinated Entry System coordinator for Northeast Los Angeles; and Sylvia Hernandez, who works with the Los Angeles Community Action Network (LA-CAN). Moderated by Brenda Jackson (junior) and Kevin Lord (sophomore), the panel discussed both the policy and community organizing facets of tenants’ rights coordinating.
CEach of the panelists discussed their background and how they became involved in the fight against homelessness.
Aguilar, who works with CES to change housing policy and advance tenants’ rights, said he focuses on the prevention of homelessness because once someone is in that situation, it is very difficult to get them out.
Alvarez was raised in Highland Park and discussed the displacement she witnessed growing up. She focuses her work on Northeast Los Angeles, an area that currently lacks a homeless service provider, according to Alvarez.
Hernandez discussed the different aspects of organizing she is involved in, including a weekly legal clinic that works to educate tenants about their rights.
Jackson said the committee’s goal was to host a small panel that brought together a variety of speakers, with each offering a unique perspective.
“I thought that was a pretty good variety of perspectives, because I think the policies that are pushing out people are super important, and to advocate for policies like rent control [and] stuff like tenants’ rights is very important,” Jackson said. “But it’s also very important to have somebody [who] has more of the hands on experience that’s not necessarily political, but more like community organizing.”
The panel covered different aspects of Los Angeles’ homelessness problem, including the primary factors contributing to homelessness and different stigmas associated with displaced people. The panel also discussed how Occidental students can become actively involved in this issue, since Jackson and Lord said the school has contributed to displacement in Highland Park.
Alvarez said the wide range of people who experience homelessness includes families, youth and the elderly, and homelessness looks different for different people. Both Hernandez and Alvarez said the way homeless people are perceived matters because the discourse surrounding the issue can be misleading and can label homeless people in a detrimental way.
Hernandez discussed the primary factors that contribute to homelessness and said that less than 24 percent of homeless people became homeless due to drug addiction and/or mental illness factors. According to Hernandez, people must look to the community to find answers. Hernandez said that ultimately, many people share the same issues regardless of their housing situation.
“The difference between the people who live on the street and us are four walls,” Hernandez said.
According to Aguilar, Los Angeles is a city of renters, and the fast-rising rental costs detrimentally affects people’s quality of living: higher and higher percentages of people’s income goes to paying their rent.
“Between 2000–2015, rents in LA grew 25 percent while income, adjusted for inflation, decreased six percent,” Aguilar said. “We are just a paycheck away from being out in the streets.”
The panelists also discussed different rental schemes that continue to push renters, who Aguilar said are often longtime tenants, out of their homes. One method is the “cash for keys” offer, where landlords offer a one-time cash payment for tenants to move out. Aguilar said that due to rising housing prices, these payments are rarely enough money for tenants to obtain new, long-term housing.
“How does that create community?” Aguilar said. “How does that sustain a community and culture when you have deep roots being uprooted and tossed aside for the sake of profit?”
Alvarez said it is important for Occidental students to stay educated about these issues and help raise awareness. Hernandez said that going out into the community, speaking to one’s neighbors and maintaining human connections are imperative. Aguilar also discussed the importance of getting involved in local elections.
“I believe you are all taking the first step just by being here,” Aguilar said. “There’s a lot you can do on the local level to participate and make your voice heard.”
Salma Rojas (junior), a member of the Homelessness Awareness and Action Week student-led committee, also said it is important for Occidental students to remain involved in local elections and to follow tenants’ rights organizations on social media. Rojas said these organizations often issue calls to action through their social media accounts and that it is important for students to actually show up in those moments.
Ally Lang (junior) attended the panel and said she learned about who homelessness specifically affects and how its effects manifest in different ways. In particular, Lang said she learned about the small changes Occidental students can make to help prevent homelessness.
“I would say putting your money towards local businesses, not … the super gentrifying places on York, but places that have been here for a while and are owned and run by local community members,” Lang said. “Also supporting people specifically, like how [the panel] talked about using the cashiers versus automatic checkout. Making sure that you’re not just fronting, but actively working towards it in your daily life.”
Jackson said the idea to hold the Homelessness Awareness and Action Week was prompted by her effort to promote the Downtown Womens’ Action Coalition’s women’s needs assessment survey.
After discussing the idea to expand the promotion of the survey into a weeklong event with her roommate Leslie Serrano (junior), Jackson reached out to the Intercultural Community Center (ICC) and Student Leadership, Involvement, and Community Engagement (SLICE) to gather more students. The resulting core committee consists of Jackson, Rojas, Lord, Serrano, Evie Pope (junior) and Marco Holman (junior).
In addition to promoting the survey and the speaker panel, committee members tabled in the quad, put up an informational wall in the Tiger Cooler, gathered donations for a jacket drive and fundraised $603 for the Undy Fundy, which works to provide homeless people with clean underwear, according to Jackson.
Jackson said she hopes to continue organizing the week next year. She said as more students are educated about the reality homeless people face, it can lead to greater involvement and support for this issue.
“I do hope to bring the importance of service into students’ lives,” Jackson said. “There’s so many ways you can get involved without really getting involved.”
