L.A. Community Hearing on Homelessness, Housing and Hunger

Friday, June 25 – 11:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Millennium Biltmore Hotel

Housing Is A Human Right and Key Legislators to Host Community Hearing to Address Root Causes and Brainstorm Solutions; Panels moderated by KJLH-FM’s Tammi Mac, KNBC-TV4’s Beverly White, and KABC-TV7’s Josh Haskell

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Housing Is A Human Right (HHR) and key state and local legislators will host a “Community Hearing on Homelessness, Housing and Hunger” on Friday, June 25^th in Downtown Los Angeles. The hearings will include 3 panel discussions with public testimony (‘Hunger’ at 11:00 a.m., ‘Housing’ at 1:30 p.m. and ‘Homelessness’ at 3:00 p.m.) to explore root causes, brainstorm solutions—and hear compelling testimony from people who are unhoused, rent-burdened, facing hunger issues and grassroots organizations working on the ground. The event is FREE and registration is encouraged. (Registration link) The community hearing will also be streamed live on Facebook: to view the panels and testimony, click here:

HUNGER Panel: 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Moderator: Tammi Mac, KJLH-FM radio host ‘The Tammi Mac Show’

HUNGER Hearing Board:

• Hon. Henry Stern, California State Senator, (D, SD27), and …
• Hon. Sue Himmelrich, Mayor, City of Santa Monica
• Hon. John Erickson, West Hollywood City Council Member
• Hon. Steven F. Veres, Los Angeles Community College District Board President
• Hon. Nichelle Henderson, Los Angeles Community College District, Board Member
• Pastor Kelvin Sauls, Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) Commissioner

Testifying before HUNGER Board:

• Margie Chavez, Food Bank Customer
• Carlos Marroquin, Urban Partners Los Angeles and AIDS Healthcare Foundation
• Michael Flood, President / CEO, L.A. Regional Food Bank
• Adriana Cabrera, Founder, Co-Founder, South Central Mutual Aid Los Angeles
• Ryan Conners, Vice Chancellor, Los Angeles Community College District
• Kim Olsen, West Valley Homes Yes
• Alberto Tlatoa, Founder, South Central Restoration Committee
• Jackie Venters, Founder, Inner City Child Development and Youth Foundation

HOUSING Panel: 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Moderator: Beverly White, reporter, KNBC-TV4

HOUSING Hearing Board:

• Hon. Kevin de León, Los Angeles City Councilmember, 14th District, and former California State Senate President Pro-Tempore, and …
• Hon. Ben Allen, California State Senator (D, SD26)
• Hon. Henry Stern, California State Senator, (D, SD27)
• Hon. Miguel Santiago, Assembly Member, (D, AD53)
• Hon. Sue Himmelrich, Mayor, City of Santa Monica
• Hon. Mike Bonin, Los Angeles City Councilmember, 11th District
• Hon. Sepi Shyne, Councilmember, City of West Hollywood
• Pastor Kelvin Sauls, Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) Commissioner

Testifying before HOUSING Board:

• Danny Tabor, Former Mayor of Inglewood
• Michael Soloff, President, Santa Monica Housing Commissioner
• Michael Weinstein, President, AIDS Healthcare Foundation
• Carolyn Fowler, Anti-Gentrification Coalition
• Sam Pratter, Founder and Executive Director, Los Angeles Room and Board
• Elena Popp, Executive Director, Eviction Defense Network Student Housing
• Dan Wright – Housing Attorney

HOMELESSNESS Panel: 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Moderator: Josh Haskell, reporter, KABC-TV7

HOMELESSNESS Hearing Board:

• Hon. Kevin de León, Los Angeles City Councilmember, 14th District, and former California State Senate President Pro-Tempore, and …
• Hon. Ben Allen, California State Senator (D, SD26)
• Hon. Sue Himmelrich, Mayor, City of Santa Monica
• Hon. Lindsey Horvath, Mayor, City of West Hollywood
• Hon. Mike Bonin, Los Angeles City Councilmember, 11th District

Testifying before HOUSING Board:

• Melvin Tunstall, Unhoused, Skid Row
• Renay Grace Rodriguez, Attorney, Formerly Unhoused
• David Busch-Lilly, Unhoused, Los Angeles
• Suzette Shaw, Skid Row Ambassador, Formerly Unhoused
• Shawn Morrissey, Union Station Advocacy Director, Formerly Unhoused
• Sam Tsemberis, Founder, Pathways to Housing
• Anne Miskey, Executive Director, Union Station Homeless Services
• Representative, Midnight Mission
• Representative, People Concern

WHY: Cities across California are facing an unprecedented homelessness crisis. It is estimated that over 150,000 Californians are experiencing homelessness, including over 60,000 in Los Angeles County with nearly 40,000 of those found in the City of Los Angeles. The global pandemic only exacerbated this humanitarian crisis. Despite the COVID pandemic subsiding due to increased vaccinations, homelessness continues.

The “Community Hearing on Homelessness, Housing and Hunger” is intended to bring new urgency among government and elected officials and the public to these three overlapping crises. Elected officials and decision-makers will hear from those with lived experience from people who are unhoused, rent-burdened, facing hunger issues. They will also hear from stakeholders from grassroots organizations working on the ground and others who will provide various points of view on addressing these three growing humanitarian issues.

Contacts

Lauren Hogan

Communications Manager
+1.310.940.0802 cell

lauren.hogan@ahf.org

Ged Kenslea
Senior Director, Communications for AHF

+1.323.791.5526 cell

ged.kenslea@ahf.org