
In the San Gabriel Valley, boarding houses for vulnerable Chinese immigrants in search of affordable housing have operated for years. For new arrivals, these places are often the first stop. For elders, they can become the last. Some have lived in the same rooming houses for decades, resigned to conditions others would never accept. These rooming houses are cramped, unsafe, and undignified. Yet they are also a fragile safety net, keeping many elders from ending up on the street.