100% Affordable Permanent Housing: Safety and Quality of Life Revitalization

Housing and Homelessness

San Gabriel Valley

Expand existing project, program, or initiative

Research from USC Price Center for Social Innovation found that 48% of surveyed households in LA spent more than half of their income on rent and utilities, with Black and Latino households more likely to be rent-burdened. High rent forces households to cut back on basic needs such as food and clothing, which can lead to long-term decrease in quality of life. Having affordable housing can have a significant impact on breaking intergenerational poverty by encouraging financial stability, reducing mental stress, enhancing health and healing, and providing a safe place to nurture learning and community development. As one of our former tenants shared, "[Having affordable housing] was a respite. It was the support that we needed. We were low income, and couldn't afford a lot of things. But by the grace of God, [we were] able to afford a place to live as we were going to school and getting a career. I have graduated with my masters and been blessed by God with a good job."

Beacon Housing's properties target lower-income households who are facing extreme housing burden and insecurity not just through the provision of safe and affordable housing to those who may face barriers such as poor credit score or limited rental history/reference, but also through support activities and referral to services to enhance housing readiness and to help tenants resolve arising issues and sustain their housing. Our properties demonstrate how small to mid-sized multifamily housing can be preserved as affordable housing to serve as both a lifeline and a more readily-executable, community solution to the current crisis. With continued increases in maintenance costs, Beacon Housing relies on fundraising to cover needed major renovations to ensure the continued safety of these projects, as well as to find cost-effective ways to expand the number of affordable units available. The projects we require funding for include: funding for repairs to walking decks, stairways, and other retrofits necessary to meet the requirements of California ordinance SB721 to enhance public safety relating to decks, balconies, and other external elevated structural elements in multi-family residential units; repairs and replacements to existing plumbing system; and undertaking the retrofit necessary to bring a Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit up to safety code, so that it can serve as an additional unit of very low income housing.

Our main focus is to provide a safe, stable and comfortable living space for residents in our buildings, all of which are in LA County. To ensure the continuity of this needed service, we need funding to ensure compliance with ongoing legislative changes relating to multifamilies, making all needed repairs, and taking all essential steps to enhance safety at our buildings. In the short term, this project will enhance safety and functionality for our existing tenants while also creating a new unit. In the long term, we hope to demonstrate through our properties that smaller-scale affordable housing projects can be financially feasible and a viable, locally-driven solution. Given the complexity of the current housing crisis, a variety of approaches and models beyond traditional affordable housing development must be considered.

We seek to measure the impact of our affordable housing, which would be supported by this funding, through engagement with tenants via our onsite staff and ongoing tenant activities. Through these, we have collected a number of anecdotes and sharing from past and present tenants for whom affordable housing has been a lifeline, which are supported by wide-ranging research to support the positive impact of affordable housing on individuals, families, and the community at large. As one of our tenants noted, "Living here in affordable housing has helped us tremendously. I live close to where I work...If I had to pay for a market rate apartment here in Pasadena it would be beyond my means. Living here has also helped my friends and my brother who have been through some difficult challenges in the past. They have been homeless or at risk of homelessness. Beacon Housing has not only provided me with a place to live but an opportunity to build a better future."