Happenings

Saying “yes" to supportive housing for the most vulnerable people

This is an update on the winning proposal from the LIVE category in the 2018 activation challenge. See the original proposal here.

Since January 2019, the Everyone In campaign has worked tirelessly to site and approve more supportive and affordable housing across L.A. County. With the added capacity we have brought to the housing and homelessness space in messaging, events, and organizing, we have successfully increased the number of units sited per year by 700%. Of the total number of units sited, roughly a third of them are under construction and will open their doors in a few years. The more supportive and affordable units that open, the more people we can bring indoors and chip away at the homelessness crisis.

Everyone In by the numbers

as of July 31, 2019

• Facebook 39,831 (22%▲)
• Twitter 15,700 (20%▲)
• Instagram 5,117 (42%▲)
• Email 36,139 (31%▲)
• Supportive housing units sited 6,424
• Units under construction 1,812

The work of the organizing team

Much of the success of Everyone In can be attributed to the work of our organizing team that cover every region in the county. The organizing team has been actively building community support for over 35 developments countywide. Local residents are getting involved and signing up for trainings to become “super advocates" skilled in the basics of community organizing and messaging. We've empowered residents to build their own local coalitions to address the crisis in their community through hosting events, canvassing, and engaging their elected officials on solutions that work. Our goal this year has been to move the thousands of people who have signed up for Everyone In up the engagement ladder to win local battles.

• Organizer Series: Meet Quincey
• Organizer Series: Meet Enrique
• Gather L.A. 2019
• Stories from the Frontline: Long Beach
• Stories from the Frontline: Pasadena

Engaging residents

To engage residents, we have relied on our digital outreach and events to cast the widest net to convert new supporters. To celebrate our first anniversary in March, we launched large ads on billboards, buses, and radio spots to build brand awareness. We've increased the number of local events to include The Advocates documentary screenings, a storytelling series called Stories From The Frontline in six communities, and Pop Ups at major community events. We've utilized a texting platform, Hustle, to engage new sign ups to invite them to a local event or have an organizer contact them for follow up. And finally, we've hosted bi-monthly orientations that have 30-40 participants call in during their lunch break on Fridays.

2019 Campaign Highlights

• Hosted first anniversary event, Gather 2019, at Union Station L.A. with over 500 attendees
• Increased to 13 organizers countywide
• Developed training curriculum to focus on local overview, messaging, organizing tactics and strategy
• Developing policy workshops with Abundant Housing L.A. and Inner City Law Center on preventative measures
• Increase internal staff by 5 employees
• Host bi-monthly call-in orientations to an estimated 30+ people per call

With the support of the Goldhirsh Foundation, we have expanded our organizing capacity and have new organizers dedicated to areas like Long Beach, Pomona/East San Gabriel Valley, Pasadena/West San Gabriel Valley, Antelope Valley, and East L.A./Gateway Cities. In jurisdictions outside of the City of L.A. we take a deeper look at improving policies that streamline development, provide legal protections for renters, and exploring ways the United Way can enter the rent stabilization conversation. The results of the 2019 Homeless Count showed a 12% increase countywide (16% in the City of L.A.) despite all the work we have done collectively to permanently house and site new development at record rates. Every day last year, we helped 133 homeless people move into permanent housing, but another 150 were driven into homelessness for the first time.

Partnerships

We've partnered with Abundant Housing L.A. and Inner City Law Center in developing our policy improvement work in the targeted seven jurisdictions with heavy focus in the City of Whittier, Long Beach, and unincorporated areas. We've worked with L.A. County's Homelessness Initiative and L.A. County Regional Planning Department on the Interim and Supportive Housing Ordinance (ISHO) that would streamline bridge and supportive housing development in unincorporated areas. Unincorporated areas has over 1.1 million residents in 120 communities and, if combined, would be considered the second largest city in the county. Since the unincorporated jurisdictions do not have an elected body, the Board of Supervisors act as their city council and mayor. We just finished community engagement on the ordinance and are waiting for the completion of a feasibility study. We are also looking into strategies to make the Temporary Rent Stabilization Ordinance, an annual cap of 3% rent increase and requiring just cause evictions, permanent in 2020.

Progress in the last six months

• Number of attendees at events: Over 1,800 at 6 storytelling events
• Number of people trained: Over 600 people trained
• Number of policy improvements passed: 5 local laws passed, 1 pending in unincorporated areas
• Number of campaign endorsements: 130 partner organizations and agencies

This is an update on the winning proposal from the CONNECT category in the 2018 activation challenge. See the original proposal here.

Welcome, Neighbor is a campaign created by Miry's List in partnership with the Los Angeles Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE). Our goal is to make Los Angeles the most welcoming city for resettling refugee families by activating Angelenos across the city through their Neighborhood Councils to welcome and support their newest neighbors.

In 2019, 14 neighborhood councils voted "yes" to participate in Welcome, Neighbor to make LA more welcoming for resettling Angelenos:

Utilizing social media, council meetings, resolutions, and volunteer opportunities, to date we've reached over 70,000 and engaged nearly 14,000 Angelenos.

Learn more here!

On September 4, 2019, LA turns 238 years young! In honor of our city's birthday we asked 26 leaders, doers, and innovators to share their birthday wish for the City of Angels.

We heard dreams about better transportation, wishes to support local entrepreneurs, and plans to invest in future generations. It looks like this is going to be a great year for LA.

Tell us your wish for LA's birthday using the hashtag #HappyBirthdayLA and tagging us (@LA2050) on your social media platform of choice - we cannot wait to see your ideas!

This Book Lovers Day we got help from our staff to create a list of our own bookshelf favorites! Here are our must-haves to add to your own book collection:

The Overstory: A Novel by Richard Powers

Goldhirsh Foundation President Tara Roth admitted she cried in public while reading this Pulitzer Prize winning book. “It's just a beautiful and sad story. You become immersed in all the character's stories and truly care about them."

Sula by Toni Morrison

Tara also recommends this novel that chronicles the friendship of two women over their lifetimes. By taking the characters through different paths in life, Morrison shows what it's like to be a black woman in America.

A Random Walk Down Wall Street: The Time-tested Strategy for Successful Investing by Burton G. Malkiel

Social Innovation Coordinator LeAnn Kelch recommends this book about investing. “As someone who is just starting out in my career, I wanted to learn about how I could (and should) be investing my money. This book is helpful for those who are looking for more than just simple advice and want to understand not just what they should do with their investments, but why. I've learned so much!"

The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein

LeAnn also recommends this book that traces the history and lasting impact of redlining in America - revealing how the government imposed residential segregation and “contributed greatly to our country's pervasive racial and economic inequality."

Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now by Maya Angelou

From racism, to grieving, to taking time for your own self care, Ms. Angelou gives her raw, real advice to apply to everyday life. “The wisdom, wit, and honesty from her personal experiences helped me learn to love my journey for what it is and take control of it," according to our intern Amanda Guiterrez.

G'morning, G'night!: Little Pep Talks for Me & You by Lin-Manuel Miranda

Amanda also recommends starting your day with Lin-Manuel Miranda's brand of sunshine, “These little affirmations start my day off with motivation and end my night with contentment, and truly make me smile."

Becoming by Michelle Obama

In this book, Obama shares how her experiences growing up in the South Side of Chicago shaped her career and personal life, along with her experiences as first lady. USC Price Fellow Claudia Eccheveria says, “Michelle Obama's memoir is a must read!"

Peace in the Hood: Working with Gang Members to End the Violence by Aquil Basheer and Christina Hoag

Claudia also recommends this book that provides guidelines on how to become an interventionist and promote peace in some of LA's most vulnerable neighborhoods impacted by gang violence.

Ask More: The Power of Questions to Open Doors, Uncover Solutions and Spark Change by Frank Sesno

Consultant Julie Lacouture says this book by journalist Frank Sesno “has some amazing advice about how to ask great questions to spark change. I learned the difference between empathetic questions, accountability questions, diagnostic questions, and when to best use them."

Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist by Eli Saslow

Julie also recommends this book that follows a young man who "grew up at the epicenter of white nationalism" (his Dad founded Stormfront and his godfather is David Duke) and came to renounce all of it after attending a small college in Florida. Says Julie: “This is a tremendous story of how small influences can make a huge change and how white-supremacist ideas get repackaged and adopted."

Here (Pantheon Graphic Library) by Richard McGuire

This graphic novel is recommended by intern Amanda Liaw, “It's a surprising book that illustrates the stories that have taken place in the corner of a single room across hundreds and thousands of years. It does an amazing job at drawing out the deep emotional connection we somehow feel to spaces."

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

Intern Amy Roth recommends this non-fiction book, “Gladwell's narrative of the complexities of “outliers" in society is gripping and thought-provoking."

The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America by Timothy Snyder

Amy also recommends this detailed analysis to draw parallels between history and the present, as he maps out the road to corruption, censorship, and the suppression of democracy throughout Russia's quest for world domination.

After the back-to-back earthquakes around the 4th of July, Southern Californians realized how important it is to be prepared in the face of natural disaster. It got us thinking about all the organizations that help communities before, during, and after a natural disaster strikes.

• American Red Cross Prepare SoCal and Disaster Training- Prepare SoCal is an American Red Cross campaign created to address the needs of neighborhoods and encourage community resiliency in the most vulnerable communities. The campaign aims to achieve this through working towards four goals: community preparedness, volunteer engagement, response capacity and communications. The Red Cross also offers free disaster training to communities. These training courses, accessible both online and in person, include the Pillowcase Project Presenter Fundamentals, Shelter Fundamentals, Casework and Recovery Planning Fundamentals, Basic InstructorFundamentals and Public Affair Essentials.
• Team Rubicon (See their My LA2050 2019 submission here)- Team Rubicon capitalizes on the skills and experience of military veterans by pairing them with medical professionale and first responders. The organization offers incident management, damage assessments, disaster mapping, home repair, and more to affected communities.
• 211 LA County- 211 LA County partners with the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management to provide timely and accurate disaster information services before, during and after a disaster hits. 211 LA County is also partnered with the L.A. County Department of Public Health to provide Public Health issued warnings and advisories.
• RYLAN (Ready Your L.A. Neighborhood)- RYLAN is a free service offered by the City of Los Angeles Emergency Management Department meant to encourage, empower, and prepare Los Angeles neighborhoods for the next big disaster. The program increases neighborhood readiness by offering ways for communities to organize, practice, connect, communicate, and train.
• Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)- The Community Emergency Response Team is a program supported by the Los Angeles Fire Department. Community residents are trained to become disaster first responders to ensure neighborhoods survive and thrive after disaster strikes.

Most of these organizations and more are also a part of the Emergency Network of Los Angeles (ENLA). The ENLA is a coalition of nonprofit organizations that share their knowledge and needed resources throughout the disaster cycle. With the support and resources of all these organizations, communities and the individuals they home can feel more equipped and confident when a disaster strikes.

Make memories and make a difference this summer! Beach, lake, and river cleanups are an opportunity to get involved in your community and make public spaces safer and cleaner.

There are plenty of organizations in Los Angeles making a difference for the environment and many hold cleanup events regularly throughout the year:

• Cabrillo Marine Aquarium - Home to an aquarium display of the largest collection of SoCal marine life in the world, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium holds beach clean ups the first Saturday of every month at Cabrillo Beach Coastal Park. Get involved at the next cleanup events taking place August 3rd and September 7th.
• Friends of the Ballona Wetlands - A founding member of the Wetlands Restoration Principles Coalition, the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve holds monthly creek cleanup and community restoration events, with the goal of creating a diverse habitat that both improves biodiversity protects rare and sensitive species. You can volunteer at the next events coming up July 19th, July 27th, August 16th and August 24th.
• Friends of the Los Angeles River - Friends of the Los Angeles River has lead the river movement since 1986, through its devotion to restore the Los Angeles River's natural habitat. This organization holds an annual event named CleanUp. You can sign up for updates on the 2020 CleanUp event or you can book a private clean-up of the River for your corporation through their year-round program called River Makers.
• Heal the Bay (2015 My LA2050 LIVE Winner) - Heal the Beach has advocated for clean ocean waters in Greater Los Angeles for the past 34 years through their Nothin' But Sand beach cleanups every third Saturday of the month. If you're unable to attend these events, you can do a private clean up through their Adopt-A-Beach and Suits on the Sand programs. Bring your family and friends to the next cleanups taking place July 20th and August 17th.
• Surfrider Foundation - Since its creation in 1984, the Surfrider Foundation has evolved into the largest non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to protecting the world's oceans. Surfrider LA hosts monthly cleanups on the weekend throughout Marina del Rey and the Ventura County line. Surfrider LA also offers corporate sponsored cleanups and the Sunset Corridor campaign, which is meant to share data around pollution with the LA County Board of Supervisors. Come out to the next events coming up July 28th and August 18th.

"DSC_0039"by DontBeAPassenger is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Wishing everyone a Happy Independence Day from your friends at LA2050! From fireworks shows and dance parties to parades and 10K runs, here are some of our favorite ways to celebrate in Los Angeles:

(photo credit: Los Angeles Downtown News)

Grand Park - 4th of July Block Party - For the last seven years, Grand Park + The Music Center have held one of LA's largest 4th of July celebrations. This free, family-friendly block party features live music, games, food trucks, and Downtown LA's biggest fireworks show! The event, held from 3 pm - 9 pm, is Metro accessible, so it's easy to enjoy the celebration.

Exposition Park Community Festival & Fireworks Show - Councilman Curren Price is hosting the annual 4th of July Community Festival + Fireworks Show on the South Lawn at Exposition Park from 11 am–10 pm. There will be games, food, live music, and more for all to enjoy. It's free to attend, metro accessible.

Pacific Palisades 4th of July - There are several ways to celebrate the 4th of July in Pacific Palisades. Early risers can participate in the Palisades Will Rogers™ 5k, 10K and Kids' Fun Run. Starting at 2 pm, the 71st Palisades Parade will start the route at Via de la Paz and end at Alma Real Drive. To end the day, there's the annual Palisades Rocks the Fourth event, which will include food, concerts, games, a pie eating contest, and a fireworks show.

Simi Valley - Ronald Reagan Library 4th of July Celebration - The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, opened in 1991, is the repository of presidential records from the Ronald Reagan administration. On the 4th of July, the library becomes home to an annual celebration that offers games, crafts, face-painting, concerts by the LA Sheriff's Department Band, and more. Guests can even rewrite history by taking a photo with Betsy Ross and even some presidential look-alikes. This family-friendly event starts at 10 am and offers outdoor activities for free.

Warner Ranch Park July 4th Fireworks Extravaganza - Councilman Bob Blumenfield's annual Independence Day party is returning to Warner Ranch Park. This “fireworks extravaganza" brings together over 60,000 people for fireworks, free live entertainment, food from more than 20 local restaurants, as well as arts + crafts vendors.

Happy Pride Month! What began as “Gay Pride Day” to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan, Pride has grown into a month-long series of events that honor the contributions of the LGBTQ+ community. As the celebrations continue, we want to shine a light on organizations that have applied to the My LA2050 Grants Challenge which build connections, provide safe spaces, and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community:

• The Los Angeles LGBT Center - Now the largest LGBTQ+ organization in the world, the center provides health services, social services, housing, produces live performances, host exhibitions and leads efforts to help end anti-LGBT bigotry in schools.
• The C.I.T.Y. x1 Youth Group - Formed in 2005, C.I.T.Y. x1 is dedicated to providing LGBTQ+ youth with a safe space that links them to transitional living, educational programs, emotional support, GED enrollment and HIV & STD Testing.
• Outfest - Founded by UCLA students in 1982, Outfest promotes equality through creating, sharing and protecting LGBTQ+ stories on screen and in the media.
• API Equality- LA - One of the most well-established organizations dedicated to the political engagement of LGBTQ+ people of color, API Equality-LA organizes community members to take action on equality issues.
• Heart of Art Gallery - Run by women in South LA, Heart of Art Gallery serves as a safe space for members of the LGBTQ+ community to create and present their art.

On June 7, our timelines looked more orange than usual as thousands of you took a stand for gun safety by participating in the Wear Orange campaign. One of our My LA2050 grantees, the Brady Center to prevent Gun Violence took part and we were touched by this story from one of their employees:

Our Vice President of Policy Christian Heyne wears orange for his mom, Jan, who was shot and killed 14 years ago.

Today, we're thinking of Christian, his family, and all of the families like his. We must do more to end gun violence in America. #WearOrange #NotOneMore pic.twitter.com/pCvQ2Ys42Q
— Brady (@bradybuzz) June 7, 2019

The Wear Orange campaign is an annual collaborative project from hundreds of nonprofits, media organizations, and influencers across the country. The viral campaign picked orange as its color in memory of Hadiya Pendleton, age 15, who was shot and killed just one week after performing at President Obama's 2nd inaugural parade in 2013. After her death, her friends marched in orange, her favorite color, to bring awareness to gun violence.

Here are a few more posts from around Los Angeles:

Our lights shine bright in orange tonight as Los Angeles joins people from all across the country wearing orange and marking National #GunViolenceAwarenessDay. #WearOrange pic.twitter.com/bLtYZ10v8Z

— Mayor Eric Garcetti (@MayorOfLA) June 8, 2019

I'm looking forward to joining Moms Demand Action tomorrow at Grand Park by the memorial fountain at 10:15 am in Los Angeles. If you can't make it out there you can still show your support by using the hashtag #WearOrange and #DivestForOurLives. Together we can make a difference. pic.twitter.com/RunA9ZSad5

— CA State Treasurer (@CalTreasurer) June 1, 2018

Thank you @CityAttorneyLA for speaking at #WearOrange Los Angeles and for being a champion of common sense gun laws all year round! We need more champions like you! ✌️🧡🍊 @MomsDemand @Everytown #WeCanEndGunViolence pic.twitter.com/WaejWiTWb1

— Laura Abbasi (@lauraladida) June 3, 2018

THANK YOU @TheVFCProject for your incredible & heartfelt performance @ today's #WearOrange Los Angeles! "Enough is Enough" was the perfect anthem to an incredible day of advocacy https://t.co/wTabvZtASZ #WeCanEndGunViolence @MomsDemand @Everytown @anthonyfedorov @shannonrwatts pic.twitter.com/CIjyubHda8

— Laura Abbasi (@lauraladida) June 3, 2018

I'm damn proud to #WearOrange and even prouder to represent these strong and determined advocates in Congress.

Their tireless commitment to establishing common sense #GunReform is nothing short of incredible.

Thanks for letting me drop by this week in Los Angeles, @MomsDemand! pic.twitter.com/5huJQlV5QW

— Rep. Jimmy Gomez (@RepJimmyGomez) June 1, 2018

Written by United Way of Greater Los Angeles, in partnership with Inner City Law Center and Abundant Housing LA, and provided to LA2050 as part of its mid-year report.

United Way's Everyone In campaign is committed to educating and activating 100,000 residents across LA County to connect the dots between housing affordability and our current homelessness crisis. There are more than 52,000 people experiencing homelessness and thousands more who are just one paycheck, crisis, or emergency away from losing their home. The high cost of housing, stagnant wages, and lack of affordable units only exacerbate the problem. We need to build more supportive housing and bring in those that are at most risk of dying on our streets.

After receiving the LA2050 Activation Challenge award, Everyone In has been ramping up efforts to activate local residents around real solutions to end homelessness. Our field organizing campaign is strengthening our work as we partner with more community-based groups, meet with stakeholders, and receive endorsements from local organizations, faith communities, and small businesses. Each week, more people sign up for the campaign by engaging with us online, participating in trainings, and attending town hall meetings. We have invested more resources in canvassing, phone banking, mass texting, and call-in trainings – tightly coordinated with our digital media and engagement strategy.

---

EVERYONE IN BY THE NUMBERS as of January 31, 2019

Facebook 31,281

Twitter 12,703

Instagram 2,992

Email 25,013

Online petitions signed 12,525

NEARLY DOUBLED SINCE AUGUST 1, 2018

---

In the inaugural year of the campaign, most of our efforts in siting and approving interim and permanent housing were focused in the City of Los Angeles. Our organizers have been actively building community support around 23 Proposition HHH-funded supportive housing and 12 bridge housing developments. We are also working on an additional five supportive housing developments in L.A. County.

With the support of the Goldhirsh Foundation and LA2050, we are expanding our organizing and advocacy capacity to reach all 88 cities across the County. This is no small feat. To start, we are targeting seven jurisdictions and building strategy based on their current policies on housing, available resources, and public/political support on the ground.

In the first phase of the LA2050 grant, Everyone In set up planning meetings with our partners, Abundant Housing LA and Inner City Law Center to develop a policy and legal approach to streamlining development and preventing homelessness through a “right to counsel" ordinance for tenants facing eviction. The ordinance would guarantee tenants have access to the information and representation they need when faced with landlord harassment, eviction, and other issues. An average of 54,239 unlawful detainer eviction cases have been filed per year over the last three years in Los Angeles County. The 2018 Homeless Count showed over 9,000 people experienced homelessness for the first time based on the combined impacts of evictions and rental housing unaffordability.

---

BUILDING CAPACITY IN 2019

‣ 10 FIELD ORGANIZERS

‣ NEW DEDICATED ORGANIZER IN LONG BEACH

‣ HIRING AN ORGANIZER IN PASADENA

‣ PARTNER WITH ABUNDANT HOUSING LA AND INNER CITY LAW CENTER

‣ INCREASING EVERYONE IN STAFF

‣ BI-WEEKLY CALL-IN TRAININGS

‣ TWO TRAININGS PER ORGANIZER/MONTH

Upcoming: Long Beach, Pasadena, San Fernando Valley, and Hollywood

---

In the next six months, we will be creating and executing city-specific strategies that will propose policy improvements to increase the supply of affordable and supportive housing. We will conduct a series of workshops to educate elected offices, stakeholders, and residents on policy recommendations that can be made to address homelessness and prevention in each jurisdiction. From there, we will coordinate with the Everyone In organizer team to begin mobilizing the community support necessary to site housing and pass new policies.

---

To evaluate our progress in the next six months, we will be tracking:

• DIGITAL GROWTH IN ZIP CODES COUNTYWIDE

• NUMBER OF ATTENDEES AT EVENTS

• NUMBER OF PEOPLE TRAINED

• NUMBER OF POLICY IMPROVEMENTS PROPOSED

• NUMBER OF POLICY IMPROVEMENTS PASSED

• NUMBER OF “EVERYONE IN" CITY RESOLUTIONS RECEIVED