LA Renters Fight Rent Hikes in Court to Avoid Life on the Streets

"LOS ANGELES (CN) – Nearly a third of Los Angeles renters spend over half their income on rent. It’s a startling figure that housing advocates say is directly connected to the homeless crisis but has gone largely untouched over the decades as rent has outpaced wages.

Maria Leon, an East LA resident and activist with community coalition Eastside LEADS, said most her neighbors are low-income immigrants who don’t understand their rights as tenants and fear rent increases.

While knocking on neighbors’ doors to explain tenant protections, Leon noticed a recently evicted woman showering her children in the public park before they left for school. Leon had faced eviction but received legal support to help her chances of finding a home..."

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