FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: lppipress@luskin.ucla.edu
UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute Awarded $500,000 from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
Research will examine housing equity, wildfire recovery, and the impacts of ADU growth in Black and Latino neighborhoods across Los Angeles County.
LOS ANGELES (October 6, 2025)—The UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute (LPPI) has received a $500,000 grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to lead a two-year research initiative examining housing equity and resilience in Los Angeles County.
The project focuses on how communities recover from shocks to the housing system, such as climate disasters or rapid policy changes, and how these disruptions affect long-term housing affordability and stability for Latino and Black residents. The initiative will generate neighborhood-level data insights to inform policies that strengthen resident resilience and prevent displacement.
“We have witnessed that disasters don’t just destroy homes, they expose deep inequities in who gets to rebuild and who gets left behind,” said Amada Armenta, faculty director of UCLA LPPI. “The support of the Hilton Foundation will help ensure that recovery efforts in Los Angeles lead to stronger, more stable communities, not more loss for those already living on the edge.”
The first phase of the project will focus on Altadena. LPPI researchers will analyze post-disaster post-wildfire recovery to uncover patterns of inequitable rebuilding and identify where support is most needed to prevent long-term displacement and wealth loss.
In the second phase, the team will study the growth of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and its effects on housing affordability in Pacoima–Arleta, Northeast LA, and South LA.
“The Hilton Foundation is proud to support LPPI’s groundbreaking work to advance housing equity and climate resilience in Los Angeles County,” said Jonathan Sanabria, Program Officer at the Hilton Foundation. “In the wake of the devastating wildfires earlier this year, we believe this type of in-depth research and strong community partnerships are key to building systems that protect families from displacement.”
“Latino and Black neighborhoods have long been locked out of housing policies that actually work for them,” said Gabriella Carmona, senior researcher at LPPI and project lead. “Through this grant, we will have the opportunity to center these communities in our research and to work alongside local partners to push for smarter and more just housing solutions.”
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About UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute
The UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute is a non-partisan research institute that seeks to inform, engage, and empower Latinos through innovative research and policy analysis. LPPI aims to promote equitable and inclusive policies that address the needs of the Latino community and advance social justice. latino.ucla.edu.
About Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
International hotelier Conrad N. Hilton established the grantmaking foundation that bears his name in 1944 to help people living in poverty and experiencing disadvantage worldwide. More than eighty years later, the work continues, concentrating on efforts to ensure healthy early childhood development and sustainable livelihoods for youth and refugee populations, support young people transitioning out of foster care, improve access to housing and support services for people experiencing homelessness, identify solutions to safe water access, and lift the work of Catholic sisters. Additionally, following selection by an independent, international jury, the Foundation annually awards the $3 million Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize to an organization doing extraordinary work to reduce human suffering. The Foundation is one of the world’s largest, with approximately $7.3 billion in assets. It has awarded grants to date totaling more than $3.6 billion worldwide, and nearly $300 million in 2024. Please visit www.hiltonfoundation.org for more information.
