Build with Strength, a national coalition of the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association consisting of fire service professionals, architects, engineers and industry experts committed to enacting safer and more sustainable building standards, is pleased to welcome the Los Angeles Urban League as a new member of the coalition. The premiere community organization joins a growing list of advocates who are working to ensure that the most vulnerable residents in cities such as Los Angeles have access to safe and secure housing.
To date, the coalition includes a number of California organizations, including the Southern California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Asian Americans in Commercial Real Estate, and Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice.
“We are pleased to join Build with Strength, given our mutual commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of residents across the City of Los Angeles, particularly within our low-income and minority communities,” says Nolan Rollins, President and CEO of the Los Angeles Urban League. “We are fully behind the Build with Strength effort to improve fire and building codes as well as overall safety standards so that residents may enjoy living in safe, secure and durable apartment structures.”
At a time where mid-rise housing developments have been increasingly the site of large, spectacular fires, including the Da Vinci apartment complex in Los Angeles, and a number of developments under construction in the Bay Area, Build with Strength has stepped up efforts to mitigate the dangers of fire for communities across the country. In reviewing current building and fire safety codes, the coalition is working to identify areas in need of improvement, particularly in updating building codes by including the use of non-combustible materials to minimize the risk of fires.
As the nation’s urban population centers become more crowded, the demand for housing is continuing to grow. In order to safeguard these communities, Build with Strength is working to ensure the safety of new buildings, particularly those intended for communities at risk such as low- and moderate-income residents.
“The addition of the Los Angeles Urban League to Build with Strength demonstrates the growing necessity for cities and small towns alike to address the hazards present within their communities,” says Kevin Lawlor, a spokesperson for Build with Strength. “California’s growing alliance of civic-minded organizations stands ready to work with local officials, fire departments and community organizations in order to encourage more resilient construction of residential communities, particularly in Los Angeles.”
Learn more at www.buildwithstrength.com.
