Teaching High School Students About LA’s Homeless
My Approach If I Were Still Teaching Gov and Civics
I‘m not teaching a U.S. Government and Civics course this year, but if I were, I would want to teach my students about the history of LA’s homeless encampments.
This lesson would begin with me explaining that the homelessness crisis in Los Angeles originated during World War II when housing development failed to keep up with the city’s rapidly growing population.
I would then detail the history of LA’s homeless encampments from the end of World War II to the present, including mention of the recent Supreme Court case that permitted the removal of unsafe encampments, as well as the fact that many sources estimate there are between 60,000 and 65,000 homeless individuals in LA County.
When teaching this lesson, I would also show the students the video below.
The lesson would also examine recent efforts to clear homeless encampments in various locations such as Culver Blvd., Dockweiler Beach, and sites in Long Beach, including the Billie Jean King Library, Veterans Park, Gumbiner Park, and Jenni Rivera Memorial Park.
To conclude, I would call upon the students to assume the role of a task force responsible for deciding how LA government officials should address the homeless population.
To guide their decisions, several options would be presented for discussion.
- Government-Funded Campsite in a Remote Area: This option involves setting up a large, government-funded campsite in remote areas like Barstow, Lancaster, or Victorville. The campsite would likely include basic amenities such as tents, communal kitchens, and sanitation facilities to accommodate many people.
- Government-Funded Tiny Home Villages in Remote Areas: Developing government-funded tiny home villages in remote areas like the Mojave Desert or the outskirts of Palmdale. Unlike the campsite option, which typically involves large, communal living spaces with shared facilities, tiny home villages consist of small, self-contained housing units that provide individuals with more privacy and a greater sense of ownership. These villages are designed to create a supportive community environment and have been modeled after successful initiatives like the Community First! Village in Austin, Texas.
- Vacant Post-COVID DTLA Office Buildings: Converting vacant office buildings in Downtown Los Angeles into housing. Examples of such buildings could include the AT&T Switching Center, the Bradbury Building, or other underutilized office spaces that have remained vacant post-COVID.
- Unused Mall Spaces: Repurposing struggling or closed shopping malls, such as the Hawthorne Plaza or the Promenade at Howard Hughes Center, into shelters and resource centers.
- Repurposed Military Bases: Transforming underused military bases, such as the former Norton Air Force Base in San Bernardino or George Air Force Base near Victorville, into self-contained communities.
- Employ a Constant Relocation Strategy: Moving the homeless repeatedly as political pressure increases, avoiding long-term commitments.
Students would be expected to discuss these options, consider the pros and cons of each, and ultimately decide on the most viable solution to present to the class, simulating the complex decision-making process faced by real-world government officials.
This is a work in progress. Before completing it, I wanted to see what you think about the options. Think one or more should be dropped, reworded, or added?
