Art 3170 Civic Engagement Action Project Blog No. 2: Homelessness in El Sereno, Los Angeles

Homelessness in El Sereno, Los Angeles

Melody Moran

Source: downtownla.com

When thinking about major social issues in my community, immediately one came to mind: homelessness. The homeless situation in Los Angeles has continued to rise over the years. Being born and raised in this city, I cannot think of a time where there was not a homelessness problem. However, in recent years in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, the homeless population has risen. This topic in particular always gains a lot of attention during political debates and even everyday life. It seems as though we continue to discuss the homeless problem in Los Angeles, but if it is something we constantly see and talk about, then it only brings up the question of what exactly is being done to help solve this problem?

The Homeless Crisis in Los Angeles

The homeless crisis in Los Angeles continues to grow each year. As mentioned in the Los Angeles Mission website, “There are over 58,000 people across Los Angeles county who are experiencing homelessness, a 12% increase from 2018”. As the cost of living continues to rise in the city, it is hard for a lot of people to keep up with increasing rent and as a result many people are falling into homelessness for the first time (Los Angeles Mission, 2019). Financial hardship along with other factors such as disabling diseases or physical disabilities unfortunately also play a role in homelessness. It is noted that over 16,000 people have been without housing for over a year and have a condition that makes homelessness even more difficult (Los Angeles Mission, 2019). In the greater Los Angeles area alone, about 75% of people experiencing homelessness lack the proper shelter that they need and as a result they use whatever they have available to them.

Taking a look at the data, since 2019 Los Angeles has had a 12.7% increase in homelessness with the current homeless population reaching over 66,000 people. This number has risen in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a study conducted by UCLA shows that around 36,000 households could potentially be evicted from their homes and homeless because of the pandemic.

Source: Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority

Homelessness in El Sereno

El Sereno is a small community in East Los Angeles which has been especially affected by the homeless crisis. Over the last year the number of tents and homeless residents has risen exponentially. Entire islands on the street were covered with tents and encampments stretching almost the entirety of Huntington Drive. 

Source: theeastsiderla.com

If the problem is so bad in this community, we must ask ourselves these questions: How do we solve this problem? How do we, as a community, effectively help those without shelter and proper resources? How do we uplift those around us in this time of need? 

Project Homekey and Project Roomkey 
A solution that has helped alleviate the homeless crisis in El Sereno and other communities is Project Homekey and Project Roomkey. On the County of Los Angeles official website, it explains that Project Homekey is a partnership between Los Angeles County and the state of California to purchase and rehabilitate hotels and motels, in order to convert them into permanent or long-term housing for people who are affected by homelessness. This project is set to provide more than 700 housing rooms which will be converted into permanent housing units. Project Roomkey is similar but instead of providing permanent or long-term housing, it offers short-term housing for those in urgent situations. 

Since the addition and implementation of Project Roomkey in El Sereno, one of the local hotels was converted into housing and as a result, the number of homeless encampments decreased dramatically. The once encampment filled median of Huntington Drive, is now clear and not a single tent can be seen along it. 
It is important that we continue to find and fund solutions such as these in order to help those who have nowhere else to go or call home. 

Source: LAHSA.org

Personal Impact

This issue directly affects me in a number of ways. I actually live in El Sereno and have grown up here. Seeing the crisis first hand was both heartbreaking and disheartening to see just how bad the situation had gotten in my own community. Pre-pandemic homelessness was a problem in El Sereno but it was not as prevalent as it is now. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many people lost their jobs and entered homelessness. It was during this time where there was a noticeable increase in tents. There were many instances where I would see people asleep on the bus benches as I was walking by to go to work. Countless times I watched as the city and police drove up to encampments and began taking them down. There are many ways to help a homeless person but that is not one of them.

With the addition of Project Roomkey, it was amazing to see just how quickly people were able to get housing, even if it’s temporary. Through Projects like these, it gives people a second chance at life and even provides them with the basic necessities that they need. The homelessness crisis in El Sereno is not over, but fortunately it is getting better.