LA's School District Is Building... Housing?

KCRW
Which Way, L.A.?

Produced by: Benjamin Gottlieb and Sarah Spitz

Artist rendering of completed LAUSD housing complex now under construction in Hollywood. When built, about 50% of the apartments will be set aside for school district employees. (Courtesy Abode Communities)

Twenty percent of LA families spend more than half their income on rent. The scarcity of affordable housing makes it hard to live near your work. Now, some big employers are playing with solutions. And Mayor Eric Garcetti wants to see more of that. Tonight we’ll hear about an unlikely partnership between a developer and LA unified school district ‐‐ building apartments for its workers and other city residents.

Sage Park is a LAUSD housing complex that opened last year in Gardena. In cooperation with development partners, the school district's goal was to create affordable housing that looked inviting and stylish for its employees. (Photo: Saul Gonzalez)

The housing crisis in LA is only getting worse. Twenty percent of LA families spend more than half their income on rent. Among lower income households, that number climbs to nearly 80 percent. And right now, despite the shortage, relatively little affordable housing is being built. But as KCRW’s Saul Gonzalez reports, a public institution better known for reading, writing and arithmetic is now trying its hand at real estate.

Coalition for Economic Survival Executive Director Larry Gross appeared on KCRW's "Which Way LA?" on September 03, 2015.

Guests:

Saul Gonzalez, KCRW Producer, (@SaulKCRW)

Larry Gross, Coalition for Economic Survival, (@la_ces)

Tony Salazar, McCormack Baron Salazar, (@McCormackBaron)