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Listen Listen
Building Your Block
A newsletter course from LAist that explains the obstacles around housing development in L.A. and what you can do to make things better.
We know there’s a housing shortage in L.A., and it’s created major challenges for the region. But try to understand how to fix the problem and it gets murky, fast. We need more housing, but where can we actually build it? Why does it seem like all the new buildings going up are luxury apartments? Why isn’t there enough affordable housing? And most importantly: What can you actually do to support the housing you want to see in L.A.?
These are just some of the questions that Building Your Block will tackle in this seven-issue newsletter course.
Think of it as your starter guide to the conversations L.A. is having about housing development, plus we’ll bring you some real talk on what you can do to advocate for the housing future you want.
What can I expect?
Over seven issues, we’ll cover everything from how zoning rules determine what gets built and where, to why there’s so little affordable housing.
We’ll cap it all off with a long list of ideas you can put into action to influence housing decisions in your backyard, your city and beyond.
How often will you email me?
This newsletter has seven issues in total. Once you sign up, you’ll get one new issue a day until it’s done.
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Unhoused people sometimes refuse offers of shelter. One unhoused man provides insight on why it can be a challenge, and asks for housed people’s empathy. -
California has about $5.4 billion in federal funds to help qualified applicants with 100% of unpaid rent dating back to April 2020, some of which is being distributed by local rent relief programs. -
A UCLA report finds that few of the residents displaced from Echo Park Lake last year have actually secured long-term housing. -
A California Association of Realtors study found fewer than one in five Black and Latino households were able to buy a median-priced, single-family home, underscoring California’s income inequality and high housing costs. -
California tenants behind on their rent have until March 31 to apply for rent relief. The state will stop taking new applications in April. -
Councilmember Mike Bonin called shared housing a flexible solution that provides a “fast and inexpensive” intervention for anyone experiencing homelessness.
