On Wednesday, I was introduced to the wonderful staff members at Bayside Community Center that have dedicated their time and effort to providing services, education, and advocacy to the Linda Vista Community. Thanks to this community center, Linda Vista residents have access to Health & Wellness, Food Security, Leadership Training, and many other programs. I actually got a chance to participate in one of their Health & Wellness Programs, by dancing Zumba with a few of the Linda Vista residents that came to the event. It was a lot of fun!
When I discovered that Linda Vista is federally defined as a “food desert” and about 40% of the residents at Linda Vista live below the poverty line, I was shocked. How can a place that is located not too far away from La Jolla, be under such substandard conditions? It just did not make any sense. However, what I found most upsetting is how children go hungry each night at Linda Vista, and landlords do not bother to fix health hazards in the home, because it is much easier to threaten their tenants to stay quiet, by warning them that they can lose their home, if they choose to file a report. Oftentimes, this is a major threat for new immigrant families that come to live in the United States.
Given these are the struggles that most Linda Vista residents go through, I’m glad to hear that many residents feel safe and welcomed each time they come to Bayside Community Center. Based on the few words that the Executive Director, Cory Pahanish, shared with the rest of the class, it almost seems as though Bayside represents the heart of the community. I hope this continues to be the case, as Bayside continues to expand in the next couple of months.
When I discovered that Linda Vista is federally defined as a “food desert” and about 40% of the residents at Linda Vista live below the poverty line, I was shocked. How can a place that is located not too far away from La Jolla, be under such substandard conditions? It just did not make any sense. However, what I found most upsetting is how children go hungry each night at Linda Vista, and landlords do not bother to fix health hazards in the home, because it is much easier to threaten their tenants to stay quiet, by warning them that they can lose their home, if they choose to file a report. Oftentimes, this is a major threat for new immigrant families that come to live in the United States.
Given these are the struggles that most Linda Vista residents go through, I’m glad to hear that many residents feel safe and welcomed each time they come to Bayside Community Center. Based on the few words that the Executive Director, Cory Pahanish, shared with the rest of the class, it almost seems as though Bayside represents the heart of the community. I hope this continues to be the case, as Bayside continues to expand in the next couple of months.