Home in Historic Filipinotown

Housing and Homelessness

Expand existing project, program, or initiative

SIPA has operated and provided supportive services to the two affordable housing communities it has owned for over 20 years— El Centro Loretto and Normandie Village. In partnership with Linc Housing, SIPA is developing its third affordable housing community HiFi Collective, 63-units of permanent supportive housing that will also serve as SIPA's headquarters and community center. SIPA is committed to doing its part to provide affordable housing to residents of Los Angeles and Historic Filipinotown, while being responsive to displacement and rising housing costs. HiFi Collective will provide homes to formerly unhoused people, but there is a clear and urgent need to support linguistically isolated community members navigate the numerous affordable housing options available to them. As part of SIPA's Community Economic Development program area, SIPA will expand its services by dedicating staff to provide one-on-one support in language to residents who need affordable housing.

SIPA will create a new Housing and Referral Coordinator position that will work with residents to identify affordable housing options and support their process to obtain placement. SIPA has the ability to provide in-language support in Filipino and Spanish to residents who are struggling to understand the options available to them. SIPA will work with partner organizations to enroll formerly unhoused community members into the Coordinated Entry System (CES), and those needing affordable housing to apply to other options including Section 8, independently operated affordable housing communities, and affordable units in market rate developments in Historic Filipinotown. Limited affordable housing, and a looming recession all threaten the stability of those facing housing insecurity. SIPA remains committed to doing its part to keep individuals and families housed long term through the expansion of its Community Economic Development pillar.

Residents of Historic Filipinotown are expressing an urgent need to find housing as a result of displacement. Development and gentrification is occurring rapidly, with immigrant renters being the most vulnerable and potentially impacted by these changes. These residents, many of whom are also senior citizens, have lived in the community for decades, and now face the possibility of having to move to areas of Los Angeles County that are far removed from their families, support networks and resources. SIPA aims to have a thorough understanding of housing options in Historic Filipinotown by working with owners, trusted partners, organizations and developers to actively place residents in units within the very community they consider home. Historic Filipinotown will remain a neighborhood in which its long time renters can stay.

SIPA will measure success by tracking number of clients served, number of applications submitted, and number of people placed in housing. SIPA will also distribute evaluations to measure satisfaction, and has the ability to collect qualitative data on the experiences of engaging with SIPA to secure housing.