HOMELESS EMERGENCY AID PROGRAM

LACAN views housing stability as a critical component of community health. We continue our fight to ensure the Los Angeles City Council uses the state Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP) funds to address well-documented human rights violations in Skid Row. The Skid Row HEAP fund allocation represents the greatest opportunity in decades to finally develop life-saving public health infrastructure. In the short-term, we will be able to secure, 1.) Mobile/ stationary water fountains and restrooms including health and hygiene supplies for women; 2.) Mobile/stationary shower facilities; 3.) Mobile trash disposal pick-up and fixed trash cans; 4.) Mobile/fixed laundry stations; and, 5.) Cleaning supplies including brooms, trash bags, and disinfectants.

BICYCLE INFRASTRUCTURE

LACAN’s ‘Ride 4 Justice’ initiative, which is now supported by the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition and CicLAvia, led to the inclusion of Skid Row in the City’s Mobility Plan 2035. We are working to ensure that bike lanes and other bike and pedestrian safety features are implemented in Skid Row. Traffic safety is one of many public health crises that impact Skid Row. The Skid Row corridor has one of the highest bicycle riding populations in the city of Los Angeles and falls into the High Injury Network (HIN) – streets with a high concentration of traffic collisions that result in severe injuries and deaths. Communities of color are routinely dismissed and not granted life-saving safety infrastructure. To make matters worse, in Downtown LA safety infrastructure exists all around Skid Row but stops at our borders - a living example of “The Tale of Two Cities.”

LEGAL REPRESENTATION & ADVOCACY

LACAN has advanced a model of community lawyering that serves as a national model, we been successful in numerous civil and criminal court battles. We provide quality legal services focused on wage theft, illegal eviction, record expungement and reclassification, and family reunification.

LACAN has waged successful public policy campaigns both locally and statewide; however, much more needs to be done which is why we are concentrating our efforts on the passing a ‘Right to Counsel’ Ordinance in the City of Los Angeles. As noted above, evictions and removal from your housing are one of the quickest ways to end up houseless in Los Angeles.

FOOD SECURITY

LACAN is committed to closing the food security gap and broaden access to fresh, organic food, while creating opportunities for vendors and innovative cooperative models to emerge and expand. Our weekly marketplace includes giveaways of clothes and personal hygiene items, healing stations, music, free haircuts and free food deliveries for those living with disabilities or limited mobility. The markets also feature nutrition education and food demonstrations that suggest creative and affordable ways to prepare our produce.

ROOFTOP GARDEN LACAN

Most of our initiatives are infused with the paramount importance of preserving and improving quality of life for extremely low-income people. We grow fresh organic produce, on our rooftop for our community. LACAN has built an urban farming infrastructure, made of a network of community gardens in and around, with a goal of servicing residents and a growing list of restaurants in Los Angeles that purchase locally grown herbs, fruits and vegetables.

GROWING & SELLING

Centering on community empowerment and leadership development, LA CAN has built a social enterprise focused on access to organic produce, urban farming, and sales. We coordinate community organizing and public policy campaigns that promote healthy access to all. Members of our community learn how to buy and sell organic produce; how to facilitate and oversee a marketplace; how to garden grow and harvest produce; understand nutritional facts and, the value of healthy eating.

UNDERSTANDING NEEDS

LACAN Food & Wellness Collaborative produces reports, conducts surveys and carries out regular community food needs assessments. Our model emerged from the reality that the vast majority of our constituents live in communities without access to local supermarkets or affordable healthy food options. To address this problem we teamed up with local organic farmers, negotiated significantly discounted prices, and organized weekly pop up markets and home deliveries.

MAKING SURE LA MEETS IT’S $1.2 BILLION HOUSING OBLIGATION UNDER PROP HHH

LACAN is currently running an audit campaign to ensure transparency in spending and to make sure LA meet its $1.2 billion housing obligation under Proposition HHH. Two-years ago Angeleno’s went to the polls and voted to tax themselves to build 10,000 units of Permanent Supportive Housing for their houseless neighbors. To date, 1/3 of the money has been spent; not one unit of housing has come online; and, the City of Los Angeles estimates that less than 6,000 units will actually be built.

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

LA CAN played a crucial role in the campaign development and ultimate successful passing of Measures H and HHH. Using Integrated Voter Engagement (IVE) LACAN has reached 100’s of thousands voters (locally and statewide) activating, educating, and mobilizing them in efforts to make our communities safe and healthy. Additionally, we knocked on over 10k doors, contacting nearly 7,000 voters and educating them on the need to vote ‘Yes’ on the proposition. This campaign was built and staffed by marginally housed and houseless people who were also committed to the successful implementation of the proposition.

PASSING A ‘RIGHT TO COUNSEL’ ORDINANCE IN THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES

Poor tenants rarely have the legal resources needed to fight against well-funded lawyers hired by property owners and their associations and routinely abandon their homes. Following the New York and New Jersey example, we are pursuing a ‘Right to Counsel’ ordinance that will ensure all Angeleno’s have quality representation in eviction court and staving off being cast in the streets.