SELA Collaborative, Pat Brown Institute at Cal State LA and Latino Decisions Release Survey Report Funded by California Community Foundation

LOS ANGELES - Sept. 1, 2020 - PRLog -- The COVID-19 pandemic has made life in Southeast LA (SELA) more difficult and has further magnified the challenges that have existed in SELA for decades. Substantial job loss, difficulty paying rent or mortgage, limited cash reserves, a fraying and unreliable social safety net and inadequate public health resources are among the obstacle's residents face during this crisis.

These are some of the key findings of the SELA Survey Report released by the Southeast LA Collaborative (SELA Collaborative) in partnership with the Pat Brown Institute at Cal State LA, a member of the Collaborative, and Latino Decisions.  The survey was funded by the California Community Foundation.

"Understanding the disparate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health and socioeconomic well-being of our communities is critical to informing an equitable and just response," said Efrain Escobedo the Vice President of Education & Immigration at the California Community Foundation (CCF). "We are thankful to the SELA Collaborative and its partners for giving communities in the Southeast Cities a voice to head a call for action and justice".

The SELA Survey Report is intended to help government officials, community-based organizations, business and labor and philanthropy develop more equitable policies for the SELA region. It can also be used to better understand challenges facing working-class communities of color in other California cities.

"This survey is a rare and critical opportunity to elevate directly the voices of the community," said Dr. Raphael J. Sonenshein, Executive Director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at Cal State LA.  "The data that the survey generated will hopefully contribute to the commitment of the many organizations that are working nonstop to make sure that SELA's voice is heard in the halls of power."

The Executive Director of the SELA Collaborative Dr. Wilma Franco agrees, "the findings in this report highlight how great the task facing the Southeast LA region is. For far too long the SELA region has not seen its fair share of resources and investment.  COVID has further magnified the challenges our SELA Communities face.  It will take all of us coming together as a region to demand that the needs of our SELA Region are not an afterthought to ensure the long-term vitality of SELA."

The report was conducted between May 8 and May 14, 2020 under the direction of Dr. Matt Barreto and Ms. Claudia Rodriguez of Latino Decisions and reached 500 SELA residents through cellphone, landline and Internet surveys. Surveys were conducted in English and Spanish according to the respondents' preference. The report followed a previously released survey entitled "Living and Working In SELA" which together with the COVID-19 seek to uplift the voice of the SELA community.

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Southeast Los Angeles Collaborative was founded in 2011 as a network of organizations that wanted to work together to strengthen the capacity of the nonprofit sector and increase civic engagement in Southeast LA. Through its 12 member partners SELA Collaborative works to strengthen the SELA community, build collective power, and encourage innovation to drive regional systemic change. For more information please visit www.SELACollab.org