Community Listening Forum: Coachella
Homelessness:
· Overcrowding - more focused on the concept of precariously housed as overcrowding is a bigger issue for the larger population in this community
o Multiple families living together due to a lack of documentation or migration
o Multiple people also don’t have enough income to qualify on their own for rentals, so they live together in homes/units that are too small
o The community is resilient – “we don’t have another option but to resist” - they will do whatever they need to
o The migration based on work changes leads to high mobility
o People renting out to families are not being monitored
o Permits for homeowners to convert garages, attics, etc. into livable areas to rent out
· Understanding root causes – some people refuse to go into shelters
o Connecting individuals to mental health and substance abuse programs to improve access
o Ex. Parents have 3 jobs causing limited supervision for children – what is the impact of stress for the parents and children?
· There needs to be more service awareness for the entire community
o Increase advertisement for programs that help low income – review and improve current messaging methods and education tools
o Increased funding for outreach services (Ex. CVRM and Street Life Project)
o Learn from projects that are working with specific youth-targeted programs
o Homeless mapping system – match volunteers/services to homeless
· Lack of affordable housing – this is a clear problem across the entire valley
o Assistance for people making minimum wage or less
o How are there programs with free ipad’s /free phones and not more assistance for housing? This money could be better allocated
o Removing the barrier of immigration status – more programs providing legal assistance
o Low-income housing options for students
· Emergency shelters
o Designate more shelters for Coachella Valley
o Shelters that are for adults, that have less limitations, and that are more family friendly
· Rent control issues
o Families can be renting and then out of nowhere, they are faced with rent increase and no rent control after the first 3 months – education on understanding rental and homeowner rights
o People who are undocumented have funds; however, they do not have credit which impacts their ability to rent
o No access for short-term leases/varying lease terms
o Requirements and limitations make is tough for people to qualify
o Create more assistance programs available to all (not just farmworkers)
· Help “bring distinctions” to different types of homelessness and help attribute appropriate services for each category: recently homeless, youth homeless, chronic homeless
· Financial assistance – additional help between unstable harvest seasons and for first time home buyers
· More bridge housing options – tiny house models similar to Seattle and Portland
· Homeless assistance resources – more attention focused on necessities
o Cart items (water, cell phones, etc.)
o Outdoor lockers for storage
· Housing matching between rich families/snow birds and seasonal farm workers
Primary Care and Behavioral Health Access:
· Behavioral health and youth
o The social pressures students are faced with is causing drug use, cutting, etc.
o Increased access to specialized services in the school setting – someone they trust and depend on
§ Often counselors/therapists only come to the schools a couple times a week and students have limited visits and appointment availability
§ More trauma-informed counseling
o Parental education - help identify warning signs in students
o We need to address the connection between social media and the health of students - Are there services offered to help prepare children when on social media sites?
o Parental training on behavioral health issues – how can they learn to identify problems and help talk about the “taboo” issues?
· Improved, in-school education on sexual health, reproductive health, domestic violence, and overall well-being
· Low ratio of providers to population and limited availability of appointments – more welcomed walk-ins
o Limited to the provider you can access – this is an insurance and clinic problem
o More providers utilizing appointment-only schedules with high wait times
o Increased mobile health units or specialist rotations to address lack of providers
· Preventative practices – screenings, needle exchange, sanitizing stations
· Lower doctor visit fees and improve ways to reduce medication expenses with a 24-hour pharmacy
· Fear of doctor visits – more culturally competent, empathetic care
o Medical services are different depending on where you go (equality of care)
§ Ex. Kaiser in Indio provides different services compared to the Kaiser in Palm Desert
· Transportation to medical appointments – seniors, homeless, families with no vehicle
· Challenges with dental service coverage and access – paying out of pocket for necessary services
· Help share what primary care looks like for a young generation
· Increase conversation about the Desert Regional Medical Center’s future
Healthy Eating, Active Living:
· Safety issues – there is a lack of sidewalks, no lighting, and stray dogs
o Increased security is needed at local parks to address safety concerns about substance use, homeless, needles, etc.
· There are limited green spaces; however, the community is not utilizing what is available
o Identify reasons why people are not using the parks – is it because of safety or time?
· Increase activity in the families – everything begins at the home
o Help parents take the initiative and model healthy behaviors for their children
o The second generation needs to create initiative for the third generation
o Find out how technology advancements are impacting sedentary behaviors
o Education around utilizing health monitoring apps
· There is concern of the poor nutritional quality of food served in schools
o There needs to be more parental campaigning around removing sugary food/beverages
o Find ways to change the habits of children – encourage change to healthier foods
§ Parents need to set the example in the homes
o Find more ways to implement nutritional education directly in schools
o Find out how the low-quality food is impacting the health of students
· Community-driven nutritional education
o Community gardens, educational classes, more Blue Apron models, a food co-op, community kitchens, health and wellness festivals, and improved access to a nutritionist
· Improve community organization around living a healthier lifestyle
o Support groups, workout buddies, Zumba in the park – free, easily accessible activities
o Create spaces for the community to organize activities
o There needs to be a way to create habit change – families complain about how expensive healthy foods are but choose to spend money on beer
o Programs that provide subsidized gym memberships with fitness classes geared toward working adults
o Create shared-use agreements between schools and the community
· Bring more awareness of affordable, cultural farmer’s markets like SWAP meetings
· Environmental justice
o Healthy options across the whole Coachella Valley
o Sometimes the people that are harvesting the crops are not able to access them for their own families
· Create more female-friendly spaces to reduce fear of harassment
· Increase dog parks
· A liquor/grocery store hybrid
Other Ideas:
· Fostering the arts for the youth – art and cultural events in the East Valley with event production and technology training opportunities for the youth to participate and work
· Increased public awareness of marijuana dispensary planning processes – how are these decisions made?
o Ex. There were no warnings for the dispensary on 48th and Van Buren
o People do not understand the legality of the matter at the state versus federal level
o Youth openly smoke with no shame
· Later hours at public libraries and schools for basic services such as printing and internet use
· Community awareness of issues occurring in “real-time”
o Build knowledge on information sharing apps – Desert Hot Springs has a Facebook page, Coachella a Connect App, Next Door app.
· Improved outreach methods in order to have a diverse representation at forums/meetings
o The needs are different for each neighborhood, we need people to be leaders/representatives
· More stores locally so people have places to get out of the house
· Workshops on cultural differences and equitable treatment
· Air quality – growing issues with the Salton Sea
· Financial literacy - How to purchase a home
· Build better relationships with faith-based organizations and bring them into collaborative efforts
· Access to clean water/clean air resources, Ex. Air-filtration programs
· More financial assistance for college-aged individuals – book vouchers, bus passes, free health services
Ranking of priorities from Coachella participants [please note not everyone returned the ranking sheet]:
- Primary Care/Behavioral Health access
- Homelessness
- Healthy Eating, Active Living
- Other Ideas