Stay At Home: Easier Said Than Done for South Central Residents
For many residents of Southern California, one of the world’s most expensive regions, it’s been a story of barely getting by. Families are heading to local food banks, eviction moratoriums have been extended, rent relief programs have been put in place, yet residents of California are finding themselves struggling to ensure their housing is secured.
Safety should be the utmost priority for residents, but unemployment benefits and economic aid haven’t been enough to comfortably support them through the pandemic while stationed at home. This has affected working and lower class areas particularly hard, with their neighborhoods reporting higher infection and mortality rates.
In South Central, a heavily populated low-income neighborhood that sits just 6 miles from downtown L.A., treading water became even harder. According to censusreporter.org, South Central’s poverty rate is more than double the state average, amplifying the struggle between staying safe at home, and supporting families by continuing to work.
A survey conducted by A Place Called Home (APCH), a nonprofit organization that specializes in youth empowerment and mentorship, shows that many residents have had their employment altered in the past year and a half, with some falling behind on rent payments.
Additionally, Laura Mills, Director of Data & Analytics at APCH, had this to say in an interview about their progress in 2021 and if COVID-relief support has been enough for families.
“A Place Called Home has continued to provide virtual services to keep our members and families safe during 2021, she stated. “Currently between 350 and 400 young people are participating in APCH programs and services each month. We have also continued to offer our Family Resource Depot, which provides families with weekly deliveries of groceries and essential supplies, and our Direct Assistance program, which provides direct cash aid for rent, utilities, medical bills, and more.”
As for families staying afloat, “It [COVID-relief support] has helped slow the leaks in the boat,” Mills added. “…but our families are still taking on water. In a recent survey, 55% of APCH families reported that they had fallen at least one month behind in rent due to COVID-19, with 7% falling more than three months behind. Only 78% of families reported that they had stable housing and were not behind on rent… families are the most at risk to be taken advantage of by their landlords.”
Hearing Their Stories
Maria Yerenas
Another family whose ability to pay rent during the pandemic changed was that of Maria Yerenas. Maria is a single mother who provides for her daughter and takes care of her mother, and she was not able to pay her rent after being laid off for 2 months. She shared that if she hadn’t been able to return to work, she would’ve gone back home to Mexico.
Maria, as an undocumented single mother, was able to apply to one of the many programs that Los Angeles has been able to provide for COVID-19 Renter’s Assistance, but she has not heard back.
Annie Alvarez
“El dueño de las propiedades era muy difícil, no era comprensivo.”
“The property owners were very difficult, they weren’t understanding”
Annie Alvarez, who lives with her son and his wife, also states how difficult it was to pay rent while she was unemployed for 3 months. She described that, unlike other rental properties, her rent was expected to be paid on time, which was difficult since no one in her household was working.
Gabriela Lopez
Lopez shares what each of the previous testimonies has in common. She also lost her job during the pandemic, which caused her to fall behind on paying rent. As a single mother, she explained that she felt terrible that her 19-year old daughter had to go out and look for work in order to have the funds to pay rent, feeling that she had to be the provider for her home. Gabriela, like Maria Yerenas, was able to seek rent assistance, and in her case, this aid was able to provide her with enough to pay 2 months of rent.
While talking to Gabriela, however, she brought a different perspective to these issues. South Central Los Angeles has an increasing amount of of its community that is undocumented, and she stated “Disgraciadamente estamos en un pais que es mas dificil para nosotros los immigrantes,” which translates to “Unfortunately, we are in a country that makes it more difficult for us immigrants.”
She’s right, although most aid these families were able to receive such as renters assistance programs, food security programs, and school-based aid, were able to be taken advantage of regardless of immigration status. However, hundreds of undocumented individuals missed out on something that other Californians were able to receive, stimulus checks.
The family of 4 mentioned previously struggled to pay rent, and the head-of-household father stated he could have used that to pay for rent, and is upset that even with having 2 US-born children in his household, he had to take other economic measures to ensure he was able to secure he had a roof over his head.
Johanna
When asked how the pandemic had impacted her most, Johanna, 23, shared that she had many difficulties paying rent. She and her aunt live together and they both lost their jobs at the same time.
“Más que todo en la renta…”
[Response to what was her biggest challenge during the pandemic.] “More than anything, rent.”
Families in South Central have had to seek help and aid elsewhere. When speaking to a married couple who wanted to remain anonymous, they shared that as soon as the Stay at Home orders began in Los Angeles in early March 2020, they were both left without jobs. The mother was working as a garment worker and the father in food service, the biggest worry that arose was paying rent.
Living in a duplex with two children, being able to pay rent was their priority. Although they struggled to pay rent, the father stated that he never stopped paying rent, rather stopped paying bills such as gas and electricity. Food and other resources were able to be reached as part of their children’s schools. Both kids were able to receive grocery store gift cards that allowed the family to purchase necessary items, and they spoke on their ability to get food baskets from the group, No Us Without You, a nonprofit that provides food security to undocumented individuals.
We also asked Laura Mills which long-term solutions are on the table in terms of housing and financial security.
“System, long-term solutions will take individuals, community, nonprofits, government, and private business all working together to address barriers and create change. I don’t know if we’ve found solutions, but am encouraged by things like Oakland’s new guaranteed income program.”
“To reach out to the nonprofits and government agencies in their community to see what support is available to them,” Mills continued, after being asked what advice she’d provide to a family currently experiencing housing security. “Especially during COVID, cities, and counties have more programs and resources available for rent aid, etc — you can call your local city council district office. Nonprofits can be a better fit for those who, for immigration or other reasons, don’t feel safe or comfortable interacting with government representatives.”
