‘Housing is a basic human right.’ — Hafsa Kaka
As a child living with her struggling family who experienced a brief period of homelessness, Hafsa Kaka knows what it’s like for the estimated 172,000 people who are homeless in California.
“Through my parents’ sacrifice, our faith, hard work and the social services we were able to take advantage of, we were able to overcome homelessness and survive and thrive,” says Kaka, who immigrated to California from Burma with her parents and two older sisters in 1983 through the help of an uncle who sponsored them.
Today, Kaka (’04, B.A. psychology and social behavior and criminology, law and society) serves as Gov. Gavin Newsom’s senior adviser on homelessness. Later this month, she will be honored as the School of Social Ecology’s Distinguished Alumna at the 2023 UCI Alumni Association Lauds & Laurels awards ceremony for her exemplary service and contributions to the university and community.
After earning her bachelor’s degree from UCI, Kaka earned a master’s in social work from the University of Minnesota. Her experience in social services includes being the past director of homelessness strategies and solutions for the city of San Diego, an officer of homeless solutions for the city of Riverside, the homeless services manager for the city of Santa Ana and associate director of homeless services at a Skid Row shelter in Los Angeles.
During her stint in San Diego, the city opened more than 500 new shelter beds and shelters serving seniors and people with mental health issues and addictions. The city also opened more shelter beds for women and families, and it partnered with new service providers to focus on specific populations of homeless people.
“Housing is a basic human right,” Kaka stresses. “I’m very passionate about this because homelessness is a fixable problem. There is a solution: housing with supportive services.”
Housing is dignity, she stresses.
Her personal experience with homelessness and poverty fueled her own desire to do something to help others. “For me, thankfully, being a Muslim woman of color and my education shaped who I am today,” Kaka says. “My experience showed me how important it is to have the services and infrastructure to address housing and poverty so you can rise, become self-sufficient and contribute to society.”
Kaka makes the School of Social Ecology proud, says Dean Jon Gould. “Hafsa represents the best of our school, helping to change California and the world.”
The School, she says, “prepared me for my career path because it really helped me understand the morals, values and ethics of social services.”
Her education aside, Kaka credits her mother for teaching her the meaning of perseverance and dedication during the toughest times. “That’s the motivation that drives me today.”
— Mimi Ko Cruz