The homeless population in Los Angeles County has reached 69,144. To put that into perspective, that is more than the entire USC student body population. Let that sink in for a second. With the homeless population increasing by 13% from 2019 to 2020, there has been a clear trend: Los Angeles is a highly sought-after city that is simply unaffordable. Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority Director Kistina Dixon says,
“The growth in the homeless count tells us people are still falling into homelessness faster than our system can move them out due in large part to the fact that housing remains unaffordable for many Angelinos across LA County.”
Eight homes out of every 100 homes on the LA County market are considered affordable for the average buyer. Not only is the housing market geared towards individuals making more than the median income rate, the rate of housing production has not kept up with the city’s population growth. This is partly due to zoning regulations and not having enough money. Los Angeles needs to add more than 250,000 homes to the city’s zoning plan or else they will lose access to billions of dollars in affordable housing grants. In fact, state officials say, “Local governments must plan for the construction of 1.3 million new homes by 2029-triple the number required during the previous cycle.” While the state has made some efforts and has appropriated billions of dollars to the issue of housing and homelessness, the issue is nowhere near solved. This leaves our cities faced with prevalent problems such as racial and economic inequality, population density issues, gentrification, zoning regulations, and issues stemming from varying income levels. I specifically want to talk about the issue of gentrification in Los Angeles. In many areas of our city, like Venice or the USC VIllage, we see money coming in and pushing out people, resulting in displacement and erasure of culture and community. Residents are scared. Scared that they will no longer be able to live in their neighborhoods. A homeowner in Park Mesa Height says,
“I’m very concerned. This is what I consider my African American cultural neighborhood. That is far and few between in the city. We don’t have much. Every group has a place that they can say is the cultural mecca, and this is one of them.”
How many of you go to the USC Village? Do you go to Trader Joes? Do you occasionally get a Sunlife smoothie or a matcha from Dulce? Before the USC Village was completed in 2017, there used to be affordable options that accommodated and welcomed the surrounding community members, not just the student population. The Village used to be a home for the local theater, a printing shop, cleaners, Silverwoods, 32nd Street Market, Tam’s, etc. When USC came in, the small business owners were forced to leave and find affordable spaces with the same audience. I strongly believe the Village is its own bubble, completely isolated and separated from the surrounding community that previously utilized and appreciated the space. A South Central community member says, “I used to see my community at USC Village, but when I go there with my family now, we sense the place is not meant for us. We feel like visitors in a place that used to belong to us.” This is just a small glimpse into what is happening in our very own city. The USC Village is an example of power and money taking over and erasing a history and culture in the process, a clear issue happening in the city of Los Angeles.
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This is a really great post, the mentions of gentrification and other redlining strategies used by politicians and other individuals. It's extremely eye-opening to see our own university do it right under our noses and brand it as "inclusive action" when in reality it is far from it.
The zoning and gentrification issue this post brought up definitely need to be discussed more. Housing should be one of the basic human right and I cannot believe how LA County and USC is working against it with all their claims about inclusivity. With all the land the city has, giving everyone a place to live shouldn't be this hard
This blogpost in particular needs to be more talked about! Our local community in the LA region seriously needs some help in growing back together. South Central and Downtown LA is such a scary place to be in, especially as a young women, and isn't getting better. I always ask myself how did we let this area become like this? I also liked your point about local residents feeling scared and intimidated from wealthy individuals. Such an interesting read, great job!
I think that this piece sheds light on a very important issue that applies to each of our lives at this university. We all need to consider and evaluate how we can be proactive to help the local community that is being gentrified. By adding valuable statements from local residents, it truly brings about the despair and truth behind such an issue.