When I started at the Basic Needs Center, I was a student myself looking for resources on how to find affordable housing in La Jolla with a limited knowledge on renter’s rights, how to navigate which neighborhoods are safe, and how to find roommates.
I remember going to a mixer to find my roommates and have an info session introducing me to the whole lease process as a freshman. It made the process a lot less scary–so I pitched this idea as an information campaign to the Marketing Team at The Hub to pay it forward. We included statistics each year of the renter’s market in SD, specific resources tailored to underprivileged communities, and some context as to why many groups face disproportionate access to housing due to insitutitional barriers.
It eventually became an annual event towards move-in day for freshmen which was really cool to see. Online info booklets, Instagram Reels/TikTok short form content made everything a lot more digestible as the current gen typically looks for resources they can quickly glance at, skim, and bookmark. I got to design the feel of the campaign, which we made warm through the color choice and by adding the mascots that my team and I created.
Having bright colors, reaffirming and encouraging language, and advice that sounds like it came from an senior is so helpful because many students are first-gen. So many do not know what the housing market entails and it can be daunting. This makes the content more approachable and “adulting” less of a huge mystery. As a first-gen student, I was kind of thrown to the wolves with figuring out financial aid as my parents did not attend college. This helps other students feel less alone.
This all culminated in starting other new campaigns on other basic needs topics, a documentary screening of the housing crisis that San Diego was facing at the time (and still is).
Watch the Untold Story of the SD Housing Crisis, filmed by one of my best friends, edited by me and my marketing team.