Hundreds to Be Moved for 85 New Schools

A year ago, Joanna Castillo heard rumors that her 14-unit apartment building on North New Hampshire Avenue in Central Los Angeles may be torn down to build a school.

That was the last she heard, she said, until this week.

Now Castillo, 24, a mother of two who manages the apartment complex in which she lives, is faced with the prospect of losing her home and her job, in perhaps as little as three months.

The Los Angeles Unified School District is poised to begin relocating nearly 200 families a month, beginning in January, to make room for 85 new schools.

The effort will primarily affect low-income families in crowded areas that need schools the most. Relocation will begin in various parts of Central and Southeast Los Angeles, in the San Fernando Valley and in Hollywood.

For Castillo, one of more than 1,000 renters and 250 homeowners who will be relocated, the short notice is surprising and distressing.

She had more questions than answers when a reporter contacted her Monday: Will they find us somewhere else to live? Will it be nearby? They’re starting in January?

School officials said the district has made great efforts to inform residents of relocation plans since preparations began nearly a year ago.

“Our staff has literally walked all over these neighborhoods many times, knocked on doors . . . and sent letters,” said School Board President Caprice Young. “What we’ve found is, even when you do all of that, you still end up with some people who didn’t hear. That’s why you have to be enormously diligent.”

As the process progresses, the district will continue to hold community meetings and provide outreach services to help residents find new houses or apartments. It is also offering to cover the moving costs of those who are displaced, and will buy the property of those who are homeowners.

Still, many feel they have been left in the dark.

“I am worried and I am a little bit upset because the [district] did not inform us,” said Blanca Zaragoza, who lives in North Hollywood. “I’m very pleased with living here. It will be a lot of trouble.”

Larry Gordon, executive director of the Coalition for Economic Survival, said district officials haven’t informed residents as thoroughly as they should have of its plans. But, he said, they are getting better.

“They’re starting to address this issue as they never did before, and we commend them on that effort,” he said. “They’re recognizing their whole relocation system . . . basically left people out of the process.”

The district’s relocation plan will be presented at today’s board meeting. Officials say they are committed to collaborating with housing agencies to provide residents with advice about financial planning, home buying, credit and banking services.

“A lot of our [displaced residents], even though they’re low-income, want to and can become homeowners,” said Mott Smith, director of housing and relocation for the district. “Why not use [the program] to help them?”

Plans to Help Renters Relocate

For the 1,000 families who are renters, Los Angeles Unified will provide referrals to housing resources, help them select places to live and provide rides.

Under the district’s assistance plan, tenants will be guaranteed a new rent for the next 3 1/2 years that is equal to or less than what they previously paid. But tenants may instead choose to receive Section 8 vouchers, which would provide them with consistent low-income housing without such a time limit.

Ninety percent of the families who will be relocated are financially eligible for Section 8, Smith said. But some may not qualify for other reasons--if, for example, they are living in the United States illegally or have criminal backgrounds.

Although the waiting list for Section 8 housing can be five to 10 years, Section 8 vouchers under the district’s plan will be made available with little or no wait, as needed. Gordon criticized this option, saying it is “pitting [displaced families] against existing people on the waiting list” for low-income housing.

He also said there are few landlords who are willing to take Section 8 housing vouchers, and this will put a strong squeeze on the affordable housing market. The vacancy rate in Los Angeles is estimated to be 2% to 3%.

“You’re going to relocate people, but if you’re destroying 1,000 units of housing and not replacing them, then you’re adding to the affordable-housing crisis,” he said.

Mixed Reaction to District Efforts

Zaragoza, 28, who has lived in her apartment for three years, said the district’s offer of Section 8 vouchers is demeaning. “I don’t think I would be comfortable living on Section 8. They’re trying to get rid of us in an easy way.”

But Enrique Aranda, director of United Tenants, an organization that works with more than 12,000 tenants in Los Angeles, supports the district’s efforts.

“It will improve housing conditions,” he said. The financial planning and other services the district is offering will help tenants “to become first-time homeowners or to move into better-quality housing.”

Castillo doesn’t want to leave the neighborhood she has become so comfortable in. She likes living close to the bus stop, the laundry facility, the grocery store and her 8-year-old son’s school. But if the district helps her improve her living conditions, she would be satisfied, she said.

“I would like a bigger place, more affordable,” she said. “If I could get a house or rent a house, especially for the kids, it would be good for the kids to play outside.”