Skid Row Research Paper

“It is a beautiful thing when folks in poverty are no longer just a missions project but become genuine friends and family with whom we laugh, cry, dream and struggle.”

Many advocates and policymakers of housing for the poor believe that to achieve optimal human development of low-income households the location of the housing must be considered as well as the quality of the housing unit (Newman, 2008).

The frightening scene from a moving car is actually a community of loving people. Skid row has been around since the 1930s and it is a 50-block area in downtown Los Angeles where the streets are homes to about 44,000 people. There is so much going on in 50 blocks, drug dealers, drug addicts, gangsters, soccer moms, investors, and veterans everything can be found. The people on these streets have different issues like home loss, illness and unemployment every case being unique. The people on Skid Row living in poor conditions, how these individuals take it day by day and the difficulty of turning around their lives.

The economic boundaries for the southern part of Oklahoma City can run the gambit from residents below poverty level to those that would be considered to be upper-class in their monetary value. There are neighborhoods that many would not feel comfortable after dark because there has been a rise in crime to those areas. The zoning of these homes are single story, quarter acre lots that are approximately one thousand to fifteen hundred square feet. These impoverished areas have small, older homes that are two to three bedroom homes that are unkempt and, at times, are cockroach infested. The houses are built closely side by side and do not have much open space throughout the neighborhood. Most of these homes show signs of decay related to the amount of repairs that need to be made to the home. Many of the residents are renting and cannot afford to make the necessary repairs or have landlords that are unwilling to comply with the safety of their occupants. The stores in the south part of Oklahoma City are ones that cater to a lower income, such as, Payday loans, Buy For Less, Ross, Payless shoes, Wal Mart, etc.

“I took a trip to Oakland, California and fell in love with the area. We stayed at an Air B&B for the three days of our stay and the house was absolutely beautiful, it looked like my dream home. Despite all the glitz and glamour around us we noticed a large amount of homelessness compared to Columbus. We found out that this property is not someone’s home but a house used strictly as an Air B&B. When you hear something like that and see the amount of homelessness it makes you wonder how many of these homes are strictly for show? So after researching I found out, the reason for the rampant homelessness can be attributed to large increases in rent. Even worse, the cause for the increase is due to Silicon Valley” (Kasongo, 2017). Unfortunately, rent increasing virtually overnight is the reality of many low-income families. This situation is called gentrification and is felt throughout the world, from the Midwest, East coast or even Western Europe, no region is immune to this process. Gentrification in the Midwest is extensive and wide causing the displacement of many low-income minority residents which can lead to even bigger issues.

The process through which gentrification is carried out is very intricately planned. Drugs, prostitution, and violence usually play the most important role in the process of gentrification. When neighborhoods are infested by crime of any sort, the first thing that happens is the immediate decline in property value in areas like Guilford and Park Heights (“The Mortgage Bubble Invades Baltimore”). The home owning taxpayers in Baltimore City are usually blue collar workers who are just trying to make ends meet, and because of their income restrictions many of these citizens are forced to live in areas of high crime. Generally people only live in these areas if they have to, so when a developer comes along and offers to buy citizens homes at a price that the citizens at the time considers to be extremely profitable in their neighborhood, they usually take the money and run without carefully considering that the offer that they have accepted is much less profitable than what the developers have planned (“City’s East side Renaissance Spreads”). We

When cities begin their journey of being gentrified, many locals become displaced. Displacement is when locals are uprooted from their homes, due to outside factors, and forced to move elsewhere. According to the Urban Displacement Project conducted by U.C. Berkeley, “Gentrification results from both flows of capital and people. The extent to which gentrification is linked to racial transition differs across neighborhood contexts... Displacement takes many different forms—direct and indirect, physical or economic, and exclusionary—and may result from either investment or disinvestment” (U.C. Berkeley). Many people are coming into San Francisco’s Bay Area because of how diverse each element is. However, according to Census numbers, between 1990 and 2010, 35.7% of San Francisco’s black population dwindled (Bliss). 35.7% of the black community within San Francisco suffered from displacement. An additional 53% of low-income households in the Bay Area are at risk for displacement and gentrification (U.C. Berkeley). This has definitely left a dent within the diversity reputation held up by the Bay Area. When such a strong large part of people leave, The City will experience a shift in culture and community. Whether, it is the real estate, the food, the different cultures, the Bay Area has always been known for being different. Perhaps, this is why so many outsiders are coming in and buying up every piece of land they can. Whether their intentions were to purchase land and

Many times when students are given an assignment, they skim through it to see exactly what all needs to be completed. Although skimming seems as if it cuts time in half, skimming through things opens the window for you to miss important information. If a student were to come to me confused about where to begin with an assignment, the first thing I would suggest is pointing out what part the student does not understand. After we have figured out where the student is confused, I would suggest asking the professor to clarify. Anything that the student does not understand, they need to ask the professor until they gain full clarity, that way they can get the highest grade possible. Next I would ask if they had ever used an outline as a tool to complete an assignment. Regardless of the answer, I would help them begin filling one out, and we would start with what the teacher is asking. We would see that the teacher has assigned a four page, MLA format paper. I would have the student write down the criteria of the paper, that way no points are taken off on something as simple as the format. After we have gotten the basics of what the teacher has assigned, it is time to look at what the student will be writing about.

Unfortunately, many of these types of housing options are incredibly subpar to begin with. The memoir The Glass Castle provides many instances of the pitfalls of low income housing options. For example, while living in Welch the Walls family lives in squalor, perpetuating the idea of inadequacy in the housing options that are available for the poor. Despite this, SROs and other forms of low income housing are still invaluable to many urban populations; however, due to gentrification, many of these options are diminishing. “Between 1975 and 1979 San Francisco lost 17.7% of its 32,214 SRO units… Ironically, other units were lost due to government-subsidized legislation which sought to provide housing for low income tenants, but its minimum property standards mandate a separate bathroom and kitchen for each unit, thereby encouraging the conversion of SROs and rooming houses into standard, and unattainable apartments.” (Erikson), this provides us with an excellent example of how urban “improvements”, even if well meaning, can actually be harmful to established populations. Furthermore, “An October 1980 study by the North Market Planning Commission found that 2374 more SRO units had been lost during the moratorium period, many of them converted to tourist hotels and high income housing

In a bag of skittles there are various flavors such as  Lemon, Lime, Grape and Strawberry. When a person eats a bag of skittles there is a 25% chance of eating any one of the candies. However the person who chooses to buy and eat the candy knows that there is a certain flavor that they prefer over the others such as grape. Even though the person enjoys the candy overall they will always have that preference. This experience is similar to picking a college. There are numerous of other colleges that offer the same programs but there is Columbia's unique college experience that draws me into the school. Columbia is my grape skittle. Columbia offers a theater program that involves experience on campus also interacts with the New York environment.

Multiple reasons exist for the the lack of affordable housing. On the demand side these include population growth and increased migration to urban areas, easily accessible housing finance, tax incentives and a “strong cultural preference for owner-occupied detached houses”. On the supply side, affordability problems are exacerbated by inflexible and slow responses to the need for new housing stock, lack of infrastructure and generally inefficient planning processes and development assessment by local governments.

Gentrification is a problem that is occurring in many communities. The city of Boyle Heights in East Los Angeles is one of the communities that the citizens of the community are notice new apartments build, galleries owner by rich people, and high prices for apartment the people are not able to afford to live there. Because the renewal of neighborhood environments that transform and attract middle and upper-class households and investors, creating problems for those who cannot afford rises of rents. According to O’Regan, “some of the biggest concerns about gentrification-potential displacement and increased rent burdens-are driven by rent or housing cost increases” (152). The only way to

When I was eight years old, a few days before Christmas, I, my family, and our neighbors all went up to Ruidoso. We stayed in a cabin near where my cousin, and aunt and uncles were staying. We all had a wonderful time there, and I can remember it being one of the best Christmases that I’ve ever had.

In Los Angeles, the traditional definition of the word "affordable" must be abandoned when searching for housing. If you are relocating to the Los Angeles area from a mid-sized city or small town, the first thing you should do is let go of what "affordable" means in places other than Los Angeles. "Affordable" in The Midwest and The South is $650 for a nice one bedroom apartment. In Los Angeles, $600 per month will land you in a roach infested downtown flop house or sharing a one bedroom apartment with three roommates. So, what are you willing to put up with? What kind of nightlife do you enjoy? What is your diet like and can you survive without a Whole Foods or Trader Joe 's near by? Do you depend on the amenities and safety of the suburbs?(Schools and family oriented information will not be covered in this article, because as a resident and educator, I would NEVER suggest moving children into this adult oriented metropolis) Families should head for what is known as 'The West Side ' and unfortunately there are no 'affordable ' neighborhoods out west. When a single person or couple is determining what is "affordable" in Los Angeles, they must consider location, amenities and crime rates. The following breakdown of neighborhoods within Los Angeles County and Hollywood provides insight to the eclectic "affordable" sections of town: Looking for an affordable neighborhood might lead you to Koreatown, where a large studio apartment averages about $750 per month. A low rent

As one considers any large purchase, especially one that can alter the course they follow, it is important to consider the benefits and drawbacks of all options and follow the steps that are required for a happy purchase to avoid the wastage of money and the dreaded purchaser's remorse. A home is an investment that adds equity to a person. When choosing whether to rent or buy a home, there are several factors to consider to keep the buyer and possible family working efficiently. Let’s look at options that a renter/buyer has to consider as well as one of the factors of choosing to buy a home.