The struggles of reaching for the very expensive “American Dream”
by Nanci Eugenio
There needs to be a change in my community surrounding the issue of overcrowded homes. Many people, like my family, came to the U.S. for the “American Dream,” but they now find themselves struggling to even reach for it. This is a problem because people should not have to go their entire life stressed about money. Many people go through poverty and unemployment while on their journey to the ‘American Dream’. Many can’t afford housing and are forced to live with extended family or on the streets. Overcrowded homes become loud and stressful at certain points and can dramatically affect the people that live in them. I believe there should be affordable housing for everyone. With my images I hope to show people that the ‘American Dream’ is not as easy to reach for some as it is for others. I want to show why people in our community need well paying jobs in order to afford Los Angeles’s sky-high rent prices. Wealth and race biases are something that cause these problems to go unfixed because those who can afford it, refuse to help those in need. I hope my photos can spotlight the communities that are overcrowded and play a role in lowering rent prices in Los Angeles.