2024
When his grandmother passed and her children needed to sell the property, Andrés and Claire found themselves fielding a string of investors and developers already talking about evicting all of the tenants. Determined to keep themselves and all of their neighbors housed, they connected with LA Más, a Cypress Park-based nonprofit focused on community stability in Northeast LA.
What followed was a 7 months-long effort to make the sale work without displacing tenants and navigating complex dynamics. LA Más assembled financing through several mission-aligned partners to purchase the property, preserving it as affordable housing rather than losing it to the market. As part of the deal, the shed that served as Andrés’s studio (and later Claire's studio) was demolished to make room for a new accessory dwelling unit (ADU).
Arvia is now owned and managed by LA Más, with tenant engagement built into how it's run. Andrés and Claire continue to live on-site, now serving as a liaison between their neighbors and LA Más, helping steward a property that has been part of their family for three generations into its next chapter as a home for the community.