Los Angeles’ Community, Labor, and Political Leaders Answer the Call to Tackle Poverty & Homelessness in LA

“We must address the issue of structural working poverty if we ever hope to emerge from the crisis of homelessness and poverty” -LA County Federation of Labor President Yvonne Wheeler

On October 13th, 2023, the Los Angeles County Labor Federation hosted the Summit on Poverty and Homelessness, pledging to lock arms with hundreds of labor, political and community allies in attendance to address the key issue of our day.

The Summit examined the systemic challenges, roadblocks and root causes to housing insecurity, especially for those working full time but still living paycheck to paycheck and struggling to afford rent. Over 75,000 people go to sleep unhoused in LA County every night, which is enough to fill SoFi stadium to capacity with 5,000 left over, and 46,000 of our unhoused neighbors live in the City of Los Angeles. Within the unhoused population, over 70% are immigrant, Black or Brown.  Simultaneously, over 1.4 million people in LA County are living in poverty.

“It is simply unacceptable that working people are working paycheck to paycheck but still can’t afford to pay the rent. We look forward to locking arms with our elected leaders so we can work together to make meaningful change to address poverty and homelessness in our communities head on. We understand tenants’ struggle. Their fight is our fight. We can only solve this crisis when we work together and that’s the goal of our Summit on Poverty and Homelessness.”

A series of workshops were hosted, including a panel on affordable housing construction, preserving public sector jobs, and raising the bar in traditionally low-wage industries.  The affordable housing workshop focused on solutions for building more affordable housing throughout the county, and doing so with standards that create pathways out of poverty for working Angelenos by way of utilizing the LA/OC Building Trades apprenticeship programs. The public sector workshop focused on the role that unionized public sector jobs have done for creating pathways out of poverty for working people of color—particularly Black women. More specifically, the workshop tied together the nexus between the public sector workers who provide direct services to the unhoused, the dignity of their work in solving the crisis, and how we can create additional career pathways into these essential jobs for Angelenos desperately looking for a good job.  

The Summit brought together leaders from every part of the county for a full-morning convening that included dynamic speakers and informational workshops that will create a platform to workshop solutions for poverty and homelessness in Los Angeles. 

Specifically, union members called for:

• Civil Service Reform in LA County, the City of Los Angeles, and the City of Long Beach that removes barriers to hiring while preserving good union standards; 
• Support for a $25/hour Hospitality Living Wage Ballot Initiative for Long Beach workers; 
• Support for a $25/hour living wage policy at LAX for airport and hotel workers;
• A Sectoral Bargaining Fast Food worker policy in the City of Los Angeles; and
• Support for specific affordable housing projects in the City of Los Angeles and beyond.

With over 500 in attendance, this intimate gathering of LA’s Labor, Community, and Political Leaders had an inspiring line up that included speeches from legendary figures within the Labor Movement. In a powerful show of solidarity, our speakers included:

• Yvonne Wheeler, the President of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor
• Bishop William J Barber, the Leader for the Poor People’s Campaign
• Karen Bass, the Mayor for the City of Los Angeles
• Rex Richardson, the Mayor for the City of Long Beach
• Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, the Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the California Federation of Labor
• Janice Hahn, the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors Chair
• Holly Mitchell, the Supervisor for the Los Angeles County Board – 2nd district.
• Kent Wong, the Director for the UCLA Labor Studies Center

This Summit laid the foundation for what will be a multi-year campaign to abolish poverty and abolish homelessness in Los Angeles County.

Feel free to view our photo gallery below: