LA County focused on building homes for youth

Los Angeles County’s latest round of Homekey 3.0 grants will be used to build 113 apartments for people experiencing homelessness in Exposition Park, Hollywood and Lancaster.

The State of California announced $37.2 million in Homekey 3.0 grants to Los Angeles County and its nonprofit partners to develop 55 units of interim housing for youth and young adults and 58 units of permanent housing with supportive services for individuals who are elderly and/or have physical and/or behavioral health disabilities.

LA County will collaborate with Wellnest Emotional Health & Wellness to develop The Nest at Exhibition Park. Using modular construction, it will provide 25 new interim homes for “transition age youth,” including youth exiting the foster care or juvenile probation systems. Sixteen of the homes will be set aside for participants in the County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) Transitional Housing Program Plus (THP+).

Also, Covenant House to convert the Hollywood Downtowner Motel into 30 interim homes for transition age youth experiencing homelessness, with nine units dedicated to THP+ participants. All residents will have access to wrap-around services, including mental health supports.

In Lancaster, LA County is partnering with Hope the Mission to renovate three hotels along Sierra Highway to create 58 units of permanent supportive housing (PSH), as well as two manager’s units.

“Homekey has been critical to creating much-needed housing for people experiencing homelessness and these latest grants will benefit those who are particularly vulnerable,” Los Angeles County homeless initiative executive director Cheri Todoroff said. “By combining Homekey with other state and local funding sources, we’ll be able to provide our young, older, and medically fragile residents a safe place to stay as well as supportive services.”

In the past, agencies serving THP+ participants often struggled to find landlords willing to provide suitable units. With both The Nest and Downtowner projects, LA County innovatively combined two state funding sources – THP+ and Homekey 3.0 – to develop housing dedicated to this particularly vulnerable population.

“For too many young people exiting foster care, this funding is a needed lifeline,” DCFS Director Brandon T. Nichols said. “This money will not only offer young people shelter; it also will help us provide an array of services to prevent the next generation of unhoused. These funds will allow our youth to take a first, sturdy step toward independence. Our ultimate goal is always to give former foster youth every opportunity to succeed.”

Following the Board of Supervisors’ emergency declaration on homelessness earlier this year, L.A. Care and Health Net committed $114 million through the Housing and Homelessness Incentive Program (HHIP) to help increase the availability of permanent housing units in the private rental market.