Today we watched the movie “Imagining Home” which focused on the sense of community that existed in the Columbia Villa neighborhood and the effects of the renovation project that took place in 2003. This neighborhood was created during World War II as a homing community for shipyard workers, and after the war it became a public housing site. In the following decades this neighborhood faced economic and social isolation, a surge in violence and the buildings were in deteriorating conditions. In an effort to provide better living conditions for its residents Columbia Villa through the funding of the HOPE IV program were able to rebuild the neighborhood and integrate them more into the surrounding communities. With this renovation project people were forced to relocate for 2 years until the building of New Columbia ended. In this new community affordable and owner-occupied homes were integrated as to create a community with people of various social standings. Although, the project in the eyes of developers would revitalize this community that had been long forgotten families feared the end of a resilient community.
When watching the movie, a newer resident of the Villas said that those who look down on the community could end up there if a family member dies or if they lose their job; therefore, the line separating the Villas residents from the outside is very thin. This struck me as she shared her story about how she ended up there, especially since she owned a house with a white picket fence, which so many associate with the American dream. Unlike other people the Villas were a sign of hope for this woman and her family in their escape from domestic abuse, to keep going forward. Since the people who lived in that region were mostly low-income people of color, her narrative had a big impact on me as one’s financial situation can change abruptly and what we know to be true can change just as fast.
By Araceli Lara