Commentary: Our family of four shared a cramped studio for 25 years. LA housing costs nearly kept us there forever
LOS ANGELES -- My sister and I have called Westlake and Koreatown home our entire lives, but rising rent priced us out of our own community. Southern California’s high costs of living and limited homeowner support programs made it nearly impossible to find a better housing situation for our family.
Growing up in a predominately low-income immigrant community, we assumed living in an overcrowded apartment was the norm.
For more than 25 years, our family of four lived in a rent-controlled, cramped 450-square-foot studio with a walk-in closet and tiny bathroom. We converted the walk-in closet into a bedroom and our parents slept in a twin-sized bed right outside the kitchen. Our
