Have a seat, grab some popcorn and enjoy a free screening of “The Pruitt-Igoe Myth: An Urban History,” courtesy of Housing Long Beach.
The movie screening will be held at the Art Theatre of Long Beach on April 20 in an attempt to inform the community about affordable housing.
HLB is a community organizing agency that works to increase the supply of affordable housing for Long Beach residents through policy work and systems change.
Affordable housing, sometimes referred to as “projects,” provide low-income families, senior citizens and disabled persons with low-cost housing.
According to HLB, “a disadvantaged person who could otherwise end up homeless or in an unsafe dwelling, like a condemned building, is able to find a place to live with a reasonable rate.”
However, public housing has been negatively criticized in the past.
The California Legislative Office said, “The scale of these programs — even if greatly increased — could not meet the magnitude of new housing required. What’s needed are broader changes that facilitate more private housing construction.”
Furthermore, in an article titled, “Public Housing: What Went Wrong?” published by the National Housing Institute, the institute claims rental units provided by public housing are outdated or in need of serious repair.
HLB aims to end the stigma of public housing with a free screening of “The Pruitt-Igoe Myth: An Urban History.” The documentary focuses on the impact of the national urban renewal program of the 1950s and 1960s, which incited mass suburbanization and emptied cities of their residents and businesses.
“This film tells many different stories that not only dispel the myths around affordable housing but tells the story of an urban core in decline and larger story around the development’s failure,” said Molly Mendoza, an intern for HLB. “So, the film is important in terms of not making affordable housing the boogeyman, which it often is. Rather, the film brings the entire social, economic and political context into perspective.”
Mendoza said that Long Beach residents are experiencing a housing crisis.
“Rents rose 7.6 percent last year and vacancy rates are less than 3 percent. We work with a lot of residents who are living in horrible conditions and can’t get their landlord to fix the problem,” Mendoza said.
HLB is currently working with a group of tenants who went without gas in their rental unit for over 60 days.
“This film provides an opportunity for students to get engaged [with] the community to start a conversation about how we can improve things for Long Beach renters and neighborhoods,” Mendoza said.
In addition to a free screening of the film, Housing Long Beach will also hold a panel section where attendees are able to ask questions regarding affordable housing in the city.