Los Angeles Funds 38 New Affordable Housing Projects to Help the Homeless
Los Angeles recently issued a new count on citywide homelessness: roughly 36,000 people don’t have a place to sleep—a 16% increase since last year.
It’s been three years since a $1.2 billion bond measure for new housing passed, and city council member Mitch O'Farrell feels the building tension. "Let’s get these going," he said at a meeting of the homelessness and poverty committee, which two weeks ago finally voted to commit funds for 38 new affordable housing projects.
With a third of the budget now allocated, developers are off to secure loans to finance the remainder of their projects’ costs. (The proposition gives each developer a $150,000 nudge.) Then, city officials will give a final stamp of approval for construction to begin. Read on for a look at just a few of the developments ready to break ground.
Hope on Alvarado Shipping Container Homes by KTGY Architecture + Planning
Planned for the highly walkable Westlake Neighborhood, Hope on Alvarado is a transitional development for the homeless that’s built from shipping containers. It will offer built-in support services for the newly sheltered. KTGY hopes the project will serve as a cost-effective model for affordable housing in other urbanized west coast cities.
Weingart Tower by Joseph Wong AIA
The Weingart Tower is going up near Skid Row, which is ground zero for many of Los Angeles’s homeless. Its combined three residential towers will provide 686 new transitional and permanent housing units, and on-site services will promote self sufficiency and community building.
The Depot at Hyde Park by Lahmon Architects
The Depot at Hyde Park is a mixed-use development of 43 affordable apartments designed for families. Lahmon Architects hopes the site along Crenshaw—once a thriving community where the region’s first train station sat—will catalyze healthy urban growth in the district.
The Emerson Apartments by Affirmed Housing Group
Each of the 39 units at the Emerson Apartments in East Hollywood will have a fixed rental price of $509, and the residences will be available to those earning less than 60% of the area’s median income. It’s situated on Melrose Avenue not far from downtown Los Angeles.
Isla de Los Angeles by Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects
Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects designed what they call an "urban lung," where residents can help grow a rooftop edible garden, join community events, and participate in job training programs. Situated in a food desert in the South Los Angeles area, the Isla will be part of a network of urban green spaces promoting healthy communities.
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