LCS
Carolina Perez
LCS Blog Entry #2
This blog entry will discuss my experiences with affordable housing and the Barrio Logan tours. Last Saturday I had the opportunity to view several different affordable housing options for seniors here in San Diego. The morning started bright and early and I was reaping the benefits of three nights with very little sleep 🙂, but I was excited to start the tour and see the different housing options. I honestly had no idea what to expect, so I boarded the bus with curiosity and an open mind.
The tour started with a presentation and introduction of Potiker Senior Housing and a little later we visited the “Hometel” at Sara Francis which was an SRO. There were notable differences between both, the main one being that the Sara Francis “Hometel” was transitional housing so residents only had six months there before they had to find a more permanent housing option. At the Potiker housing, I had the pleasure of meeting a resident who goes by the name of “CP”, which according to her late husband, stands for “Cutie Pie”. CP was such a lovely person to meet– her charisma and optimism in life really made an impression. She was kind enough to show us her studio and I was instantly reminded of a saying my mother has always told me: “Just because your space is small, it doesn’t mean it has to be messy.” CP’s studio was decorated very thoughtfully and she made great use of the small dimensions of the room; it was a great representation of her life and things she enjoyed. The Sara Francis rooms were a lot smaller than the ones at Potiker, but residents like Anthony, who was also kind enough to demonstrate his room, showed us that you can make any space your own with thoughtful arrangements. I remember hearing from one of our tour guides that some older adults who have been homeless for a long time find that they are more comfortable in messy spaces because that’s what they’re used to. When I first heard this, I was a little shocked, but after some thought, I realized that this makes complete sense. Uprooting someone from their home, even if their home was just a bench on the street, is a form of trauma as well. To us, living in a shelter or an SRO definitely sounds better than being out on the street, but to a person who’s been on the streets for years and has made friends out there, moving into an isolated room that feels like it’s been completely cut off from what you knew as your home, the change is distressing.
Today (1/31/2024), I had the opportunity to visit Barrio Logan, a Chicano neighborhood that I had never even heard about until enrolling in this class. Right as I met my class at the trolley stop, I saw a woman who was having trouble paying for a trolley ticket because she didn’t speak English. I offered to help and she was so grateful, it felt so good to make a positive impact on her day. I was instantly reminded of my own mom when I helped the woman because my mom doesn’t speak English either, and she is always telling me stories of how kind strangers have intervened to help her when her language barrier gets in the way (I always tell my mom that it’s karma rewarding both of us). Anyway, after getting our groups figured out, we split up and walked around the neighborhood to try to identify accessibility features for older adults. It was saddening to see poorly kept sidewalks and unsafe crosswalks all over Barrio Logan and my group talked about how unsafe this would be for an older adult who uses any type of assistive device (walker, cane, etc.). The biggest shock for me was the amount of crosswalks that were right in front of a freeway exit/ entrance. Not only is this a HUGE safety hazard for older adults who may not see or hear well, but it is also a huge risk for children who may cross without checking their surroundings. On a positive note, I loved all of the murals that were all over the neighborhood because they richly depicted the deep-rooted culture of the community and how proud they were of their heritage.
I want to thank Professor Lewis for opening my eyes up to a whole other side of San Diego and showing me so many different outlooks on aging and what it means to be an older adult in our society today. I’m looking forward to next week’s presentations of our EP’s!
Carolina Perez
LCS Blog Entry #2
This blog entry will discuss my experiences with affordable housing and the Barrio Logan tours. Last Saturday I had the opportunity to view several different affordable housing options for seniors here in San Diego. The morning started bright and early and I was reaping the benefits of three nights with very little sleep 🙂, but I was excited to start the tour and see the different housing options. I honestly had no idea what to expect, so I boarded the bus with curiosity and an open mind.
The tour started with a presentation and introduction of Potiker Senior Housing and a little later we visited the “Hometel” at Sara Francis which was an SRO. There were notable differences between both, the main one being that the Sara Francis “Hometel” was transitional housing so residents only had six months there before they had to find a more permanent housing option. At the Potiker housing, I had the pleasure of meeting a resident who goes by the name of “CP”, which according to her late husband, stands for “Cutie Pie”. CP was such a lovely person to meet– her charisma and optimism in life really made an impression. She was kind enough to show us her studio and I was instantly reminded of a saying my mother has always told me: “Just because your space is small, it doesn’t mean it has to be messy.” CP’s studio was decorated very thoughtfully and she made great use of the small dimensions of the room; it was a great representation of her life and things she enjoyed. The Sara Francis rooms were a lot smaller than the ones at Potiker, but residents like Anthony, who was also kind enough to demonstrate his room, showed us that you can make any space your own with thoughtful arrangements. I remember hearing from one of our tour guides that some older adults who have been homeless for a long time find that they are more comfortable in messy spaces because that’s what they’re used to. When I first heard this, I was a little shocked, but after some thought, I realized that this makes complete sense. Uprooting someone from their home, even if their home was just a bench on the street, is a form of trauma as well. To us, living in a shelter or an SRO definitely sounds better than being out on the street, but to a person who’s been on the streets for years and has made friends out there, moving into an isolated room that feels like it’s been completely cut off from what you knew as your home, the change is distressing.
Today (1/31/2024), I had the opportunity to visit Barrio Logan, a Chicano neighborhood that I had never even heard about until enrolling in this class. Right as I met my class at the trolley stop, I saw a woman who was having trouble paying for a trolley ticket because she didn’t speak English. I offered to help and she was so grateful, it felt so good to make a positive impact on her day. I was instantly reminded of my own mom when I helped the woman because my mom doesn’t speak English either, and she is always telling me stories of how kind strangers have intervened to help her when her language barrier gets in the way (I always tell my mom that it’s karma rewarding both of us). Anyway, after getting our groups figured out, we split up and walked around the neighborhood to try to identify accessibility features for older adults. It was saddening to see poorly kept sidewalks and unsafe crosswalks all over Barrio Logan and my group talked about how unsafe this would be for an older adult who uses any type of assistive device (walker, cane, etc.). The biggest shock for me was the amount of crosswalks that were right in front of a freeway exit/ entrance. Not only is this a HUGE safety hazard for older adults who may not see or hear well, but it is also a huge risk for children who may cross without checking their surroundings. On a positive note, I loved all of the murals that were all over the neighborhood because they richly depicted the deep-rooted culture of the community and how proud they were of their heritage.
I want to thank Professor Lewis for opening my eyes up to a whole other side of San Diego and showing me so many different outlooks on aging and what it means to be an older adult in our society today. I’m looking forward to next week’s presentations of our EP’s!