{"id":269924,"date":"2025-11-21T10:00:20","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T15:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncrc.org\/?p=269924"},"modified":"2025-11-12T14:19:57","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T19:19:57","slug":"east-la-community-corporation-builds-opportunity-through-housing-and-advocacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncrc.org\/east-la-community-corporation-builds-opportunity-through-housing-and-advocacy\/","title":{"rendered":"East LA Community Corporation Builds Opportunity Through Housing and Advocacy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, the East LA Community Corporation (ELACC) was formed by activists dedicated to serving their Boyle Heights and East LA communities. The nonprofit has funneled over $250 million into housing and other community development resources to strengthen low-income neighborhoods.<\/span><\/p>\n

Through its affordable housing portfolio, asset and wealth-building programs, homeownership counseling training, small business support and financial assistance programs, ELACC serves approximately 15,000 people annually.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As the organization marks this milestone year, the urgency of their mission grows even stronger. With high real estate and rental costs displacing longtime residents and small businesses and an increasingly uncertain political climate for immigrants, <\/span>ELACC<\/span><\/a> continuously evolves to meet ever-changing community needs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Empowering Residents to Lead Change<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

The Boyle Heights and East LA neighborhoods have a Latino population of over 90%, including many undocumented individuals and mixed-status families. Located two miles from downtown LA, the community has endured decades of gentrification and displacement.<\/span><\/p>\n

As investments transform these neighborhoods, ELACC empowers residents to help shape that change. The organization submitted to the city a community development plan, <\/span>Plan del Pueblo<\/span><\/i> (The People\u2019s Plan), based on feedback from meetings with residents and business owners.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal is to support the community and work together to fight gentrification,\u201d said ELACC\u2019s Associate Vice President Elba Serrano. \u201cWe do as much as we can to purchase property and keep it affordable for residents to help maintain the community.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

ELACC owns 28 affordable housing buildings and champions stronger rental protections and equitable land use policies in the region to ensure long-term stability for residents and businesses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Advocating for Vendors\u2019 Rights<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

For many immigrants in Boyle Heights, street vending is a lifeline that provides sustainable income that often goes toward housing, food and other needs. ELACC recognized the vital role street vending plays in the city\u2019s economy and culture, which led to their work advocating for state laws that decriminalize street vending and allow for easier permit acquisition.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As a member of the<\/span> Los Angeles Street Vendor Campaign<\/span><\/a>, ELACC helped organize the<\/span> LA Street Vendor Solidarity Fund<\/span><\/a>, which supports vendors impacted by the Trump Administration\u2019s aggressive immigration enforcement efforts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMany people won\u2019t go out to vend because they\u2019re afraid of increased ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] activity and have lost business because of that,\u201d said Serrano. \u201cWe get cash into their hands so they can buy what they need during this time.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The campaign has raised nearly $500,000, providing cash cards to almost 900 local vendors.<\/span><\/p>\n

Turning Personal Experience into Community Impact<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Like many people who have shaped ELACC\u2019s impact over the years, Serrano\u2019s work is not just her profession \u2013 it\u2019s her purpose.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At nine years old, Serrano\u2019s family immigrated to the United States from Guadalajara, Mexico. Transforming her lived experiences into actionable change, she now helps ensure others have the economic support her family once needed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201dThe work we do really helps families like mine, who came to this country to have a better life and to contribute,\u201d said Serrano. \u201cThat\u2019s all we\u2019ve ever wanted to do.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Nicole Rothstein is a Contributing Writer.<\/em><\/p>\n

Photo courtesy of the East LA Community Corporation.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, the East LA Community Corporation (ELACC) was formed by activists dedicated to serving their Boyle Heights and East LA communities. The nonprofit has funneled over $250 million into housing and other community development resources to strengthen low-income neighborhoods. Through its affordable housing portfolio, asset and wealth-building programs, homeownership counseling 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Rothstein","author_link":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/users\/nicolerothstein"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, the East LA Community Corporation (ELACC) was formed by activists dedicated to serving their Boyle Heights and East LA communities. The nonprofit has funneled over $250 million into housing and other community development resources to strengthen low-income neighborhoods. Through its affordable housing portfolio, asset and wealth-building programs, homeownership counseling…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncrc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269924","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncrc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncrc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncrc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4019"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncrc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=269924"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ncrc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269924\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncrc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/269925"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncrc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=269924"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncrc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=269924"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncrc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=269924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}