Andreina Kniss Tafoya
Andreina Kniss joined Public Advocates in 2023 as the Project Manager of the Alliance for Housing Justice. Before joining Public Advocates, Andreina directed the Los Angeles Homeless Youth Count, a yearly county-wide census of unhoused children and youth in Los Angeles. Prior to launching her career in project management, Andreina developed significant experience protecting tenants as a paralegal specializing in eviction defense at the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County and through fair housing litigation at the Housing Rights Center of Southern California. Watching the effects of eviction and homelessness on the poor and marginalized encouraged her to seek out other ways of building community and support for those in need. This pushed Andreina to become an organizer with various mutual aid groups focusing on direct outreach and political advocacy with unhoused communities. She continues to passionately advocate for the universal right to housing. She is based out of the Los Angeles area.
Presentations from Facing Race 2024
Repairing the Legacy: Social Housing as a Tool for Racial Equity and Justice
This session will showcase examples of social housing projects that prioritize racial justice, cultural preservation, and equitable access to affordable housing for historically marginalized groups and discuss policy interventions and advocacy strategies for dismantling systemic racism within housing institutions and advancing equity-centered approaches to housing policy and practice. Engage with session participants — community organizers, advocates, and residents — to center the voices and experiences of those most impacted by racist housing policies and empower communities to drive lasting change.
Join us as we examine the historical roots of racist housing policies, including redlining, urban renewal, and exclusionary zoning, forced displacement, and their enduring impact on marginalized communities, as well as highlight the ways in which the Alliance for Housing Justice’s social housing principles — such as anti-displacement, community control, disability accessibility, and racial equity — are taking shape in communities across the country and how they can address the structural inequalities perpetuated by discriminatory housing practices.
Speakers: Andreina Kniss Tafoya, Audrey Lynn Martin