Tale of Three Cities - Addressing Homelessness, Slums, and Adequate Housing in Los Angeles, Nairobi, and Cairo

Skid Row in Los Angeles, USA, the Al-Zawya Al-Hamra neighborhood in Cairo, Egypt, and the Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya, although vastly different in geographical and cultural contexts, exhibit certain similarities in their underlying challenges and therefore the successful strategies improving residents lives. In each community residents living in poverty lack housing and critical physical, social and economic assets. Skid Row, located in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles, faces chronic homelessness, mental health issues, and inadequate housing. Al-Zawya Al-Hamra, a densely populated neighborhood in Cairo, struggles with overcrowding, insufficient infrastructure, and limited access to basic services. Kibera, one of Africa’s largest slums, deals with extreme poverty, lack of sanitation, and inadequate access to education and health services. Despite these differences, the foundational problems and the types of interventions fruitfully advancing SDG compliance exhibit notable similarities by focusing on community involvement, infrastructure development, integrated health and social services, and the provision of adequate housing.

Simon Ha, Founder of SH Housing Solutions and Chairman Emeritus of Skid Row Housing Trust, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending homelessness in Los Angeles, has housed over 10,000 people in its 35-year history. He will describe the problems and solutions in Los Angeles.

Donald Whitehead Jr., Executive Director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, will present their effort to end and prevent homelessness, ensure immediate needs are met, and protect civil rights. Whitehead will highlight their vision for everyone to have a safe, decent, accessible, and affordable home, and discuss their strategies and successes in advocacy and service provision across the United States.

Jane Anyango Odongo, Executive Director and Founder of Polycom Girls in Nairobi, will share the story of the Kibera slums and the work they have done through the Polycom Development Project to empower young women by providing them with essential sanitary products and reproductive health education. Their achievements include significant improvements in menstrual health management and the reduction of period poverty among girls in one of Africa's largest slums.

Ohoud Wafi, a renowned figure in Egypt’s development sector, currently serves as the co-founder and chairwoman of the Hayah Karima Foundation and Vice Chairman of the National Alliance for Civic Work and Development, will present issues and solutions to improve the Al-Zawya Al-Hamra neighborhood in Cairo. Her insights will highlight the specific challenges faced by this neighborhood and the initiatives undertaken to enhance living conditions through economic development, social support programs, and the provision of adequate housing.

A panel comprised of architects, non-profit leaders, and civil service members will discuss the specifics of challenges and solutions in addressing the issues surrounding efforts to provide adequate housing for all in three very different cities that share similar issues and solutions.