Alex Sanchez
Executive Director, Homies Unidos Los Angeles
Sessions:
A community without homes: addressing houselessness in LA
There’s an epidemic of houselessness in Los Angeles, with the number of people living without homes rising 23%, to 58,000, in the past year alone. Outdated assumptions attribute this to poor choices, addiction and mental illness, yet empirical data suggests that chronic housing insecurity, gentrification and sky-high rents underline the crisis. This conversation will focus on the intersection of houselessness and immigration policy, structural obstacles, and recent ballot measures. LA poet Yosimar Reyes, the executive director of Venice Community Housing Becky Dennison, activist and Homies Unidos founder Alex Sanchez and LACAN executive director Pete White will discuss the opportunities to improve policy and public perception.