All on our show today. Well, box city is a documentary about a homeless encampment that shows how many homeless filipinos survive poverty in the midst of the bay areas vast wealth. With me right now is the executive producer for this project through the filipino channel, henni espinosa, who is an Emmy Awardwinning documentary filmmaker for her first documentary with the filipino channel, the filipino champions of soma. Welcome to the show. Henni espinosa thank you for having me. Robert give us sort of an overview of your film, as well as what was sort of the inspiration for doing it . Henni well, box city is a story about a group of homeless filipinos in San Francisco. Theyre young, in their 20s and 30s. Theyre legal immigrants here. Some of them have jobs, but the thing is that they live in boxes, small boxes, and theyre, you know, they rely on each other for support. And, you know, these people actually met on the streets when they were, you know, searching for places to live. And so they said, you know what . Youre filipino, im filipino, lets all live together in one encampment. And so they decided to be more organized. Theres actually a leader of the encampment, like, they call it the balangay captain. Theres somebody that cooks, somebody whos in charge of security. Theyre really a community. Theyve become family because they couldnt rely on their own families for help for whatever reason, maybe shame, or their own families couldnt help them too because of the cost of living in San Francisco. So they turned to these strangers for help, who became their family eventually. Robert now, i know we have a clip to look at. Lets take a look at this, and then well talk about it afterwards, okay . Henni okay. Henni here, highrise luxury apartments abound. But beneath the citys opulent landscape lies a community that sticks out like a sore thumb, a box city of sorts. Along San Franciscos 7th street, beside the train tracks, you will find this homeless encampment, where there are dozens of makeshift shelters made of cardboard and plywood, its dwellers mostly filipino. Robert thats such a stark image when you see it, and ive done a lot of homeless stories and stories about the homeless. One of the things though is that the kind of the communities that form, one of the only things they have in common sometimes are that they are homeless. And these were, the people that youre profiling are filipinos. Did that help them quite a bit in terms of maybe doing things or being able to cope with things that maybe other groups of homeless have trouble doing . Henni well, filipinos are really known for the bayanihan spirit, or, you know that if youre a fellow filipino, you get help. And so, i think for these filipinos, they found comfort in turning to a fellow filipino for help, but, you know, it really wasnt easy for them to even speak about their experiences. When we went there, initially, they were put off. You know, they didnt wanna share their stories, but us being from the filipino channel, i think it helped because, you know, we speak the same language. And, you know, we really came in there with no judgments. I think thats important, when they feel like they can tell their story without being judged, Different Reasons why theyre in that position. Some are in abusive relationships. Some are on drugs. Some simply are just in that state of mind that they feel stuck, and, you know, just waiting for that big opportunity. And so, when we went there, when i went there personally, you know, dressed down, no makeup, just in there to listen to their stories, i think they realized that, you know, we could do that. We could share our story without being judged. So we spent a lot of time with them actually. Robert and by sharing their story, or stories, what is that you wanted the community, the Filipino Community and the community at large, what did you want to get to them . What did you want them to feel . What kind of thing did you want them to feel by hearing those stories . Henni we want them to just listen and understand, and not really judge them too, and to understand that the American Dream is not always within reach. cause some people think that you go to america, its a land of opportunities. Thats not always the case, you know . Some people have bad luck. Some people just, you know, experience some unfortunate situations. And so, we just want them to realize that this is the reality right now, especially in this day and age, especially in a city like San Francisco, and we want people to also reach out and help. Since the documentary aired, i feel so blessed because so many people have reached out to these homeless filipinos, offered them clothes, food, even jobs. So some of them actually have jobs right now. Robert oh, so theyre doing well. Some of them are doing better anyway, huh . Henni yeah, some of the filipinos that saw the documentary felt like, i could help out. You know, and for us, influencing people to do good, for me thats really the most fulfilling thing about this job, more than anything else. Robert now, we know that its not just for the Filipino Community. You want everybody to kinda see this story. How can people see it . Henni well, were planning to put it up online right now. Weve aired it a few times on the filipino channel. Were hoping to air it also on other mainstream stations as well. But were planning to put it online very soon, so, you know, just watch out. Robert where should people look to find out when its coming up . Henni well, Balitang America. So basically, Balitang America produced this documentary. I work for that newscast. Were celebrating our 15th year this year. So if you guys wanna watch out for it, its balitangamerica. Tv. So well post it there. Robert well look forward. Congratulations, i know how hard it is to get those projects done. Henni thank you, thank you. Robert well, when we come back, the income disparity with Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, so stay with us. Robert we know there is a disturbing income disparity for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. How did we get to this point . Joining us is cally wong, the director of the asian Pacific Islander council of San Francisco, also known as the api council, which serves over 300,000 residents in San Francisco. And also with us is malcolm yeung, the Deputy Director of the Chinatown Community development center, which has a mission to build community and enhance the quality of life for San Francisco residents. Welcome back to the show, malcolm. Good to see ya. Cally wong thanks for having us. Robert give us an idea, first of all, in terms of when we talk about economic disparity, what is the situation facing these communities . Cally i think for api council especially in San Francisco, what folks often dont know is that there is a huge api population. We represent 35 of the population, but yet, what is very less known is that we represent 42 of those living in poverty. And oftentimes, that is overlooked by different policies and city resources. Robert why did that happen . How does that happen . Cally i think oftentimes theres this model minority myth, where we think that, you know, all asians are high achieving, were all doctors, attorneys, and thats not the case. Its a very diverse community. When you look at income inequality, if you look at the Pacific Islander community, theyre actually, they have the Second LowestMedian Income in San Francisco after the African American community. Robert do you see a way to maybe correlate that into some sort of, you know, force, Community Force in order to make that become more known . Cally yes, i think on behalf of the council, one of the things that we do is we advocate and we ensure that our most vulnerable communities get equitable funding, that were included at the table regarding policies, departments, and across the border. Robert malcolm, the situation in chinatown comparable, similar, worse . Malcolm yeung well, i mean, i think chinatown is a reflection, you know, of, i think, these income disparities. When you look at chinatown, you know, over 80 of the population in chinatown lives under the poverty line. Its pretty shocking whenever you put those numbers forward, and its something people just really dont understand well enough. Robert i dont even think people can grasp that actually because their image of chinatown is so much more vivid and so much more positive than that. Whats happening with the residents there, especially when it comes to, like, housing . Malcolm well, you know, i think one of the unfortunate drawbacks of the recent economic boom that weve seen has been this incredible increase in real estate prices, and, you know, the housing crunch. I think for decades, people thought that chinatown was gonna be immune to that, but its clearly not the case. Sixty percent of the Housing Stock in chinatown is made up of singleroom occupancy hotels. You know, which really are literally shoeboxes that share communal kitchens and communal restrooms. But unfortunately, for a lot of seniors who are aging in place and new immigrant families, this is housing of last resort. Unfortunately, even singleroom occupancy hotels have become the target of real estate speculators. And were starting to see a trend now, you know, where folks are coming in, trying to buy these buildings for top dollar, and converting them, you know, frankly, into market rate housing, and really removing that platform for new immigrant families to get a start in america. Just one quick story, i mean, we were looking at this one building, for instance. You know, four years ago, it sold for 2 million. Two years ago, it sold for 4 million. And now theyre trying to resell it for 10 million. Robert its insane, really. What does the council, like, what kind of strategy are you trying to develop . What can be done to help these people . Cally one of the things that weve seen even within internally is that, as malcolm said, that were seeing a lot of displacement. Poverty isnt just in chinatown. Its actually across all neighborhoods, and actually, from one of our reports that we found that actually 30 of those living in poverty are actually on the west side. So we have a lot of families livingwe have multiple families living in different units, in inlaw units that arent actually being counted. Robert are there any solutions in sight, any kind of programs that gear toward trying to solve this problem . Its so vast. Malcolm well, i mean, i think with regards to, you know, the housing situation, you know, i think over the past several years, the focus has been on producing more housing, and certainly, we should do that. But i think that we now need to start looking at preserving housing and protecting what weve got. In San Francisco, the rentcontrolled Housing Stock is really one of the most critical assets for Affordable Housing. You know, and i think what were trying to do is work with the city and with the San Francisco foundation, and a number of advocates in the mission, bayview, western addition, all across the city to launch a very robust housing Acquisition Program so that we can buy these housing, keep the people in place, and, you know, make sure that its permanently affordable into the future. Robert yeah, i guess you gotta start with stabilizing first, huh . Malcolm thats correct. Robert yeah, do you think this model minority kinda syndrome you were talking about before, do you think thats stopping people who could help from helping . Cally i think a lot of it is, no, i think those who do very well, we see that theyre very involved in the community, whether thats a city level, at the local level, or even in different organizations. I think, you know, one of this model minority is that, you know, a lot of our parents came here as immigrants, so and ones when they do make it that you do see them giving back to the community. Robert hmm, okay, but then not quite enough to keep up with the demand or the demand for help, right . Cally right, i think, you know, api council is working very hard to make sure to do advocacy on behalf of our most vulnerable communities. Robert mmhmm, what would be the most effective way for people to help . If people wanted to help, its so big, you know, and theres so many different aspects to it. What would be a way that people could help that where they could actually see a kind of a tangible result . Malcolm you know, i mean, for the rich people out there, you know all [laughing] robert come on, rich people, solve this problem. Malcolm yeah, rich people, were trying to work with the San Francisco foundation to launch a 10 million fund to do exactly what we just talked about. You know, i think if you wanna contribute to something thats gonna create a tax deduction, i think thats a great way to kind of really get your money into good use. But, you know, at the end of the day, i mean, you know, these issues are about political power. Theyre about representation. And i think its making sure that youre supporting Decision Makers who represent your values and the values, you know, that you care about, and certainly, if you care about these issues around displacement, and, you know, neighborhood and cultural preservation, you need to support Decision Makers, you know, who are in that mode. And i think people need to get more involved and express their voice that way all across the board. Robert all right, well, lets keep getting the word out, okay . Congratulations, thank you for helping and doing so much. Well, coming up, resources for Affordable Housing and homelessness support with the group one degree, thats next. One degree is a technologydriven nonprofit that helps lowincome Families Access Services they need to overcome poverty. Here to tell us about it is the ceo and founder rey faustino, who began his career as a teacher and site director for a College Access group called build. It led to rey starting one degree, which im told was inspired by his growing up in a workingclass filipino immigrant family in los angeles. Rey, welcome back. Good to see you again. Rey faustino thank you so much, good to see you again. Robert give us sort of an overview here in terms of not only the one degree, but also what it was about your Life Experience that helped you bring to you that point. Rey yeah, so i grew up in a workingclass immigrant family, and my family, we were looking for services when we were growing up, everything from Immigration Services and healthcare resources, and back then, in the 90s, we were using paper binders and we were talking to people, but it was so hard to find resources. And now, like, we have technology to make everything so much faster and better, but we dont really have a lot of that in the nonprofit sector. So thats what one degree does. We use technology to make it easy for lowincome and atrisk families to find and access those vital resources in our community, like healthcare, Immigration Services, housing, homelessness resources, and everything in between. Robert nothing like having a Life Experience that makes you know what people need or want, huh . Rey thats right, yeah. Robert what is the, maybe, the top demand, or what are some of the top demands and some of the hardest ones to meet . Rey i mean, Affordable Housing is a high, is always in high demand here in the bay area, and its really difficult to me because of the really limited Housing Stock. So its always difficult to find resources like that. Robert yeah, in fact, some of our other guests have been talking about that. In fact, it almost becomes a common denominator after a while. Rey absolutely, yeah. Robert yeah, whats the approach that you use . What do you think about trying to, you know, tackle that . Rey yeah, so our approach is we use technology so we have a web platform thats available at www. Onedegree. Org. People can use it to access can access it on computers, tablets, or smartphones. And its like a search engine, so you can use it to find resources, everything from Immigration Services, housing, healthcare, legal services, and everything in between. And now, were live all the way from here in san jose all the way up to santa rosa in nine counties of the bay area. Robert it seems to me that the system is kinda set up also to help people, like, not only just get that initial contact, which is not as difficult sometimes for some people, than just figuring out how to work your way through that system. You give them some help in that way, right . Rey exactly, so we have very specific instructions for how to actually take advantage of the resources, what the eligibility requirements are, and then we also have the extra steps that enable people to actually keep track and manage the resources that theyre using so they can stay organized. And one thing that were actually going to be working on and releasing soon is a common application prototype, which enables people to apply to multiple Different Services and benefits using one application online. Believe it or not, all these applications are on paper and take families hours and hours just to complete. Robert yeah, yeah, and yet, is sometimes the its technology driven, are you sometimes concerned that might scare some people off who do need the help, but they just hear the jargon, they hear the terminology, and they get a little bit scared . Rey absolutely, and thats why we are Building Technology very much in community. So we work with our community very regularly. We talk to folks regularly about, like, how to use our platform, and learn from them about what is scary, and then we fix it so that its not as daunting or scary for folks to use. Robert what i thought was kind of a dual purpose there too is that it gets them into the modern world because the people have to start getting involved, even if it does scare them. They have to start getting baby steps into it, right . Rey yeah, we hear every day about how families, their primary way to use the internet is on smartphones these days. So more and more lowincome and atrisk families are using the internet via smartphones. Robert what is it that youre focusing on right now, in terms of you said youre getting that app out . Rey yes. Robert and what are some of the current things that youre working on . Rey so, were working on one degree, which is, again, available at onedegree. Org. We also have an Affordable Housing app, which is available at www. Onehomebayarea. Org. And this is kind of a trulia for Affordable Housing, which enables people to find listings for Affordable Housing properties in 16 different counties across northern california. And believe it or not, before one home bay area was out, people had to sort through pdf and paper binders to look for different Affordable Housing properties, which is severely insignificant, and so we are helping families save a ton of time to find Affordable Housing properties. Robert do you reach out to people a lot . Or, i mean, how do you get to the people in that initial stage to get them . They may know they need services, but how do reach them in that first part . Rey yeah, so we do a lot of Community Outreach throughout the bay area. You can find us in different festivals and fairs. We also do a lot of partnerships with organizations throughout the bay area, especially a lot of organizations that serve homeless families and help to prevent homelessness among families throughout the bay area. Robert as somebody who experienced that, and now youre doing this, a lot of personal satisfaction out of this . Rey you know, every day, im not gonna be satisfied until every family has the resources that they need and can climb the economic ladder. Robert yeah, and also you understand that it can be hard to reach out and ask for help, huh . Rey absolutely, thats robert and you make it easy for em. Rey and thats why, like, people are very comfortable using the internet to find resources, cause they dont have to feel ashamed talking to somebody else. They can just, in the safety and comfort of their own place, or their home, or wherever theyre at, they can search and look for resources right there on the spot. Robert great job, rey. Good to see you again. Rey yeah, good to see you too, thank you. Robert well, next, some information on some big upcoming events, including pinays in the arts, and the olympics, right after this. In the bay area, the pinays in the arts showcase will be february 23 at 7 pm at San Francisco state universitys jack adams hall, showcasing a number of successful ladies showing their creative talents. A portion of the proceed will benefit the Youth Program pinay and pinoy education partnerships under the theme still we rise. Its time for the winter Olympic Games with an Opening Ceremony watch party. Thats on february 9 at 5 pm at the player sports grill and arcade at pier 39, and there are other watch parties, including ones on february 20 and 22 in fremont to root for hometown hero, ice skater karen chen. That will be at campo di bocce in fremont. And a perfect event for wine enthusiasts, the San Francisco chronicle Wine Competition public tasting, february 17, 1 30 to 5 pm. It will be at the festival pavilion at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco. And remember, you can get more information on all of our guests and their events. Just go to nbcbayarea. Com, or you can go see us on social media. Were on twitter and facebook. Next week, our olympic show with karen chen, vincent chow, and Chinese New Year with the golden state warriors. Well see you then. Thanks for watching. Show me the olympic winter games like ive never seen before xfinity x1, yea i always know the sco e triple corks and 4k lookin so sick streaming live on every screen, every win, every trick 2 thousand hours of coverage get your mind blown 50 olympic channels, yep youre in the zo e and if theres something that you want to s e pick up that voice remote and just say, show me experience nbc universals coverage at the olympic winter games like never before with xfinity, proud partner of team usa. Sailing the seas day and night. They knew where they were going, by watching the clouds move in the sky or the way their boats rocked. Thats how the waves and stars would speak to them. Guide them. Sometimes, you can find your way in the world, by getting lost in it. Let your legend begin at aulani, a oneofakind Disney Resort in hawaii the state of our union is the state of our union is strong. Why make this memo public . The shots not perfect. Its the most game of the year. Good morning, and welcome to sunday, today on this super bowl sunday, february the 4th. Im willie geist. Well get to the sight of the game in a moment. Were following breaking news this morning out of south carolina, where an amtrak train with 130 passengers on board collided overnight with a freight train. Its a second amtrak crash in a week. This one is deadly as well. Well have the lat