Estuardo Ruano: Homeless Activist

Photo credit: Eunice Barron

Occupations: Homeless activist, LA Neighborhood Council System Public Elected Official- budget advocate (Region 7), LAonCloud9 volunteer and Prop H supporter

Estuardo Ruano has accomplished a lot for helping his community in the last few years for his adult life. While growing up in Los Angeles, he recalls how he would “constantly walk down the streets every single day and see a lot of homeless being ignored.” He wanted to make a change and find his own voice to empower the homeless community.

Ruano began to look into different organizations, volunteer opportunities and systems such as the Los Angeles Neighborhood Council, Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and the city council system in Downtown Los Angeles to be able to understand of what was being done. He wanted to comprehend what was being done on both levels in education and local city systems.

Ruano joined the non-profit organization, LAonCloud9 in 2016. The organization is leaded by Claudia Paris which happens to be one of Ruano’s closest friends. This organization helps the homeless community by providing “blessing bags” that contain food, water and hygiene kits. Homeless pets are also helped out with this organization. As a first time volunteer, he traveled along with the organization members to Sacramento, to push the then Governor of California, Jerry Brown to declare homelessness in California as a state of emergency.

Ruano is also an activist for the #SheDoes movement which started in the beginning of 2018. This movement helps to shelter approximately 1,000 homeless women who most are victims of rape or assault.

He is an outspoken supporter of Proposition HHH Supportive Housing Loan Program (Prop HHH) or (Prop H), which is designed to develop supportive housing for homeless individuals or anyone who is at risk of becoming homeless. According to Ruano, this proposition would have “allocated $2 billion on affordable housing [and] to make sure [the homeless community] have access to good mental health services and resources.”

One of Ruano’s list of accomplishments of advocating for change was to help allocate more than $40 million towards after many months of “continous pressure” by the help of many gatherings with community members and outside support of volunteers.

Estuardo Ruano has set an example to many Angelinos of his generation to be part of the solution to end homelessness. With his example, we can all take action to improve our communites to better place no matter the age or who you are.