In the middle of a blocked intersection, several activists dressed in futuristic costumes distributed leaflets for affordable and stable housing in the city of Santa Monica to draw attention to their cause. The affordable housing rally that took place along Main St. and Ashland Blvd. In Santa Monica was organized on Sunday September 19th by Inclusive Santa Monica and Abundant Housing LA.
Tiera Ryder, who attended the rally, said her experience as a student with no shelter inspired her to advocate for safe and affordable housing. “Ten years ago when I was in college one of my biggest problems was stabilizing my apartment. The cost of living was just out of bounds for me to focus on going to school full time, ”said Ryder.
According to the US Census Bureau, the median gross rent in Santa Monica from 2015 to 2019 was $ 1,802. When compared to the entire Los Angeles borough of the same period, the average gross rent was $ 1,460.
There are approximately 907 homeless people in the city, according to We Are Santa Monica. There are approximately 66,000 homeless people in all of Los Angeles County.
When asked how Santa Monica College can help its homeless students, Ryder said, “It is imperative that the Bundy campus have student housing immediately, and it needs to be affordable over the long term. Somewhere they can live all year round, even if they don’t go to school. “Ryder continued,” We should at least be able to give them bachelor apartments. They have a sink, a hotplate and a small refrigerator in their apartment. That corresponds to the size of a standard hotel room. “
California has seen a surge in homelessness. One of Governor Gavin Newsom’s biggest political initiatives has been to address the problem. According to the official website of www.ca.gov, the state will invest $ 12 billion in California’s $ 100 billion comeback plan to help tackle California’s homelessness crisis. Activist Brad Ewing spoke about Governor Newsom’s approach to homelessness.
When asked what one hopes for from the rally, Ewing says: “We wanted to present a very positive vision for the future. We want to present a vision of what the Santa Monica we want to live in will look like in 2050? ”The organizers wanted to emphasize that everyone deserves fair and affordable housing now and well into the future
If you want to learn more about Inclusive Santa Monica, find her on Facebook. And if you want to find out more about abundant living in LA, visit the official website of plentyhousesla.org.
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