Grant Sunoo joined the Coalition in 2006 as Project
Manager, Real Estate and Economic Development. Prior to this, Grant had worked in various capacities at Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics (LEAP), a non-profit promoting leadership development of Asian Americans. Grant credits this experience with exposure to different non-profit organizations in Los Angeles and their structure as well as "developing my own set of leadership skills."

After earning a Bachelor's degree in Asian American Studies at CSU Northridge, Grant earned his MA in Urban Planning at UCLA, with an emphasis on community development (gentrification, equitable development, affordable housing, economic development, community participation in the planning process, etc). "I believe I have a solid background in community development and a good understanding of the way that non-profit organizations operate" he says. “I’ve also developed a passion for social change and a desire to empower disenfranchised communities.”

Grant lists his 3 most important goals for CRCD as follows:

●	providing quality supportive housing for transition aged youth;
●	developing CRCD’s housing portfolio and capacity to develop affordable housing;
●	extending those development capabilities to general affordable housing.

The acquisition of our two projects – 36th Street Apartments and the Broadway Apartments is the most important accomplishment of CRCD’s Real Estate and Economic Development team...and a great benefit for the community that we serve” stresses Grant, who

 

credits development partners Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC), Community Development Corporation (CDC), Enterprise Community Partners (ECP), Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), with facilitating the projects.

Together, these projects will provide 20+ units of supportive housing for Transition Aged Youth and another 5 or 6 units of general affordable housing, as well as office space for CRCD. They are among the first units of supportive housing in this area and given rate of homelessness among youth emancipating from the foster care system, Grant believes these projects will be important factors in the fight against youth homelessness.

“As a youth centered community-development-corporation, CRCD provides a unique set of services to South Los Angeles" say Grant, “we hope to establish a model of collaboration among community organizations to provide an innovative package of services for these youth.”

Grant believes in maintaining a balance between work and his personal life: he actively pursues amateur photography, reading and travelling. It “helps me ... re-focus, so I guess you could say that they all enhance my efforts at CRCD.”

For more information about CRCD’s Economic Development programs, visit us here.

For more information about CRCD’s Economic Development programs, visit us here.

Youth Development is an instrinsic part of CRCD’s mission, and we’ve devoted a significant amount of our resources to a population that is high at risk. Whether in transition from fostercare, or simply on the brink of adulthood, CRCD is committed to providing Angeleno youth with the necessary support that will secure their role as productive citizens. In our newsletter section “Transition & Transformation” CRCD will cover stories that highlight our success in fulfilling this goal.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Liseth Carbajal's family originally hails from Guadalajara, Mexico. Liseth heard about the Coalition in high school and joined the team this year as Administrator Assistant. Aside from general office responsibilities, Liseth is responsible for tracking graffi removal data for the CRCD beautification program.

Liseth enjoys attending the various social events that CRCD participates in and she attributes this exposure to helping “me change the way I thought of other communities and how to work as a group and get along with others.” This is important to Liseth because growing up in Los Angeles can be stressful; life in her neighborhood is “just drama because there are lots of gangsters and shooting around my block”.

Keeping a focus on school was also tough, and Liseth credits the Coalition with persuading her to stick with her studies and graduate. Consequently, graduating from High School was the proudest and “happiest moment of my life”. Liseth is convinced that “CRCD is here to help everyone out” and has the community’s best interests at heart. She strongly urges youth in her neighborhood to take advantage of the help they offer. She would especially like to thank Mark Wilson, Executive Director and Erika Andrade, Human Resources Coordinator, for giving her the opportunity to be on the team; she has found their advice and support invaluable.

Future plans for Liseth? Still undecided, but definitely to enroll in the the University of California system and “to keep on going”.

For more information about CRCD Youth Programs, visit us here.

CRCD and the Cesar Chavez Foundation are partnering to offer Civic Education for students from Jefferson High School in South Los Angeles. To help students meet the Los Angeles Unified School District ’s high school graduation requirement for Service Learning, CRCD and Cesar Chavez Foundation co-facilitate eight-week civic education workshops twice a year at school.

In these workshops, CRCD and Cesar Chavez Foundation teach an introductory-level history of civil rights, offering an essential example of how people can work together to improve conditions in local communities. The curriculum also covers public policy, community planning, community development, and a history of social justice movements. Students apply the lessons learned by organizing service projects to benefit the community, such as murals and neighborhood clean-ups.

In 2007, 28 Jefferson High School students successfully completed the program. Next year, we plan to serve 75 students from Jefferson High.