Across South Los Angeles and communities like it throughout California, families are navigating an unprecedented convergence of challenges, from rising living costs and housing instability to a rapidly shifting healthcare landscape. These pressures do not exist in isolation; they are deeply interconnected. When housing becomes unaffordable or healthcare falls out of reach, the impact reverberates far beyond individual households. It touches our workforce, our economy, and the emotional well-being of entire communities.
Access to quality health care is a fundamental human right, not a privilege defined by income, immigration status, or zip code. When every child and adult can receive preventive health care and mental health care, our communities become stronger, safer, and more resilient. Ensuring equitable access to care allows families to thrive, children to learn without barriers, and adults to contribute fully to the social and economic diversity of our neighborhoods.
This truth weighs even more heavily as the expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies approaches. Beginning in 2026, millions of Americans, particularly working families, young adults, and low-income households, will face steep increases in premiums. For our black and brown communities, the stakes are even higher. Nationally, Black and Latino adults are nearly twice as likely to be uninsured as white adults, a gap that reflects decades of structural inequity and underinvestment in communities like South and East Los Angeles. At Wellnest, we see daily what happens when affordable coverage becomes out of reach. Families lose stability. Mental health needs intensify. Community-based organizations like ours become the first line of support, even as our workforce and resources are stretched to capacity.
From my lens as a Latina CEO of a 100-year-old behavioral health and housing organization deeply rooted in South and East Los Angeles, I know that economic instability and health inequity feed into each other. That is why at Wellnest we have built models where housing and mental health care are integrated – because housing is healthcare, and emotional wellness is economic resilience.
Ultimately, our measure of progress must be the well-being of our people, regardless of income, background, or socio-economic status. Health care, including mental health care, is not a privilege reserved for a few; it is the foundation for thriving and resilient communities. When access to care is denied or politicized, it does not disappear, it becomes a public health crisis that affects us all.
Every child and family deserves the stability and peace of mind that come from knowing health care is within their reach. The health of our communities, our economy, and our future depends on ensuring that access remains affordable, equitable, and sustainable, not only today, but for generations to come.
