Low-Income Housing

* Mayor Richard Riordan spoke with wisdom and compassion when he argued in his state of the city address that the “quality of life is diminished for all of us when the quality of life is diminished for one of us” (April 8). But though he recognizes that making our schools better is key to our future, he misses the mark by refusing to see the whole picture.

The simple fact is that Los Angeles still is home to the greatest housing crisis in the nation. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, we have over 350,000 low-income families looking for housing that they cannot afford. An affordable rent for a family with two full-time minimum wage workers is about $300 a month. How many two- or three- bedroom, clean and safe apartments exist for this rent in Los Angeles?

The city has reduced its investment in housing in recent years, making a beeline to the bottom of the list of municipal investment in housing.

A real “quality of life” definition would include living conditions that were free of lead, asbestos, vermin infestation and extreme overcrowding. And to achieve this, the city has to invest in the infrastructure that makes up neighborhoods--and that means investing in affordable housing and community development. It means going after slumlords with a vengeance and reclaiming abandoned properties.

JAN BREIDENBACH

Exec. Dir., Southern California

Assn. of Non-Profit Housing

SISTER DIANE DONOGHUE SSS

Exec. Director, Esperanza

Community Housing Corp., L.A.