Local Hero: Becky Dennison, Fighting for Fair Housing

Nominee Name: Becky Dennison
Title: Executive director
Organization/Business: Venice Community Housing
Website: www.vchcorp.org

"Becky has worked to promote and defend the human right to housing for more than 20 years believing that Los Angeles, and all of the neighborhoods within it, must remain affordable and accessible to everyone. ...At Venice Community Housing, they are expanding and preserving affordable housing in our neighborhoods, advancing alternatives to gentrification and criminalization, providing high quality and responsive services and using our collective voice to promote human rights for all Venice residents and low-income residents across our city and county."

— Karen Mack, nominator

About Becky Dennison

Executive Director of Venice Community Housing (VCH), Becky Dennison has held her position since January of 2016. VCH is dedicated to expanding and preserving affordable housing in L.A.’s Westside neighborhoods, advancing alternatives to gentrification and criminalization, providing high quality and responsive services and building a collective voice to promote human rights for all low-income and unhoused residents across Los Angeles and Los Angeles County. Prior to joining VCH, Dennison was the co-executive director of the Los Angeles Community Action Network (LA CAN). She worked there for 15 years alongside low-income and unhoused leaders in downtown and South L.A., promoting social and racial justice through community organizing, civic participation and public policy development.

1/4 Becky Dennison with community members involved in the Venice Murals Project. | Courtesy of Becky Dennison

2/4 Becky Dennison at the We Are All Venice chalk art event. | Courtesy of Becky Dennison

3/4 Becky Dennison speaks at a podium. | Courtesy of Becky Dennison

4/4 Becky Dennison at a workshop on affordable housing. | Courtesy of Becky Dennison

She has held positions in other homeless services and advocacy organizations and is a guest lecturer at numerous colleges and universities on topics such as housing policy, criminalization of poverty and equitable development. Dennison has worked to promote and defend the human right to housing for the past 25 years so that Los Angeles, and the neighborhoods within it, remain affordable, accessible and inclusive of everyone. She and VCH also recognize gentrification, forced displacement, mass incarceration and racist policing as some of the most pressing human rights violations of our time and are actively working in coalition with allies to speak out and demand an end to these practices and policies.