Listen: Fearing eviction, elderly renters learn their rights at this Lincoln Heights SRO

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Mrs. Yeung displays the letter she received notifying her that the building had been sold this past spring. (Photo by Bear Guerra)

Mrs. Yeung displays the letter she received notifying her that the building had been sold this past spring. (Photo by Bear Guerra)

The current demand for affordable senior housing in Los Angeles is very high. Vacant units fill quickly, and it can take years to get placed. In working-class neighborhoods such as Lincoln Heights, redevelopment is driving elderly Angelenos out of housing, often in the form of evictions, or increasingly, “cash for keys”– where tenants get paid to vacate apartments.

All of the senior tenants, several of them in their mid-to-late 80s, like Mrs. Wong, have lived in this building for 15 years or more. They are all immigrants, and speak little English. They also say they don't want to move regardless of how much money they might be offered to do so. (Photo by Bear Guerra)
All of the senior tenants, several of them in their mid-to-late 80s, like Mrs. Wong, have lived in this building for 15 years or more. They are all immigrants, and speak little English. They also say they don’t want to move regardless of how much money they might be offered to do so. (Photo by Bear Guerra)