WHO WE ARE: HEMA is grassroots coalition of San Diego organizations and individuals, including people with disabilities, tenants, low wage workers, LGBTQ individuals, students, people of color who have disproportionately suffered in this economy, and people who are or have been homeless, all of whom have been impacted by the worsening housing crisis in our city and have decided to take collective
action to make the fundamental changes needed to resolve this man-made disaster. WHAT WE STAND FOR: We believe that affordable accessible quality housing is a fundamental human right that can only be met by public action and investment, rather than by primary reliance on the unregulated private market. Also, every individual and family has a right to a sustainable income, whether through a living wage job or for those who are elderly, disabled or otherwise unable to work, through increasing benefits such as SSI, Social Security, CalWORKS and General Relief so they are sufficient to pay for housing, food and other necessities of life. Rather than spend hundreds of millions of dollars to pay for stadiums and convention center expansions serving tourists and wealthy developers, San Diego should give priority to its own residents and treat this housing emergency with the seriousness and financial commitment that it deserves.
