LA’s latest homeless housing project, at nearly $600K a unit, opens in Skid Row
The biggest homeless housing project so far in the city of Los Angeles celebrated its grand opening on Wednesday, June 19, with elected officials and homeless services providers expressing hope that it will help improve and transform Skid Row, the epicenter of the region’s homelessness crisis.
The first of two high-rise buildings that will make up Weingart Towers and will house the homeless is now complete.
The Club Room in the Weingart Tower, a 19-story, 278-unit permanent supportive housing development in Skid Row for homeless people currently living in the area. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Gym in the Weingart Tower, a 19-story, 278-unit permanent supportive housing development in Skid Row for homeless people currently living in the area. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Music Room in the Weingart Tower, a 19-story, 278-unit permanent supportive housing development in Skid Row for homeless people currently living in the area. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Art Room in the Weingart Tower, a 19-story, 278-unit permanent supportive housing development in Skid Row for homeless people currently living in the area. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Computer Room in the Weingart Tower, a 19-story, 278-unit permanent supportive housing development in Skid Row for homeless people currently living in the area. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
An apartment in the Weingart Tower, a 19-story, 278-unit permanent supportive housing development in Skid Row for homeless people currently living in the area. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
An apartment in the Weingart Tower, a 19-story, 278-unit permanent supportive housing development in Skid Row for homeless people currently living in the area. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
A dog area in the Weingart Tower, a 19-story, 278-unit permanent supportive housing development in Skid Row for homeless people currently living in the area. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
President and CEO of the Weingart Center Kevin Murray speaks during a grand opening ceremony on Wednesday, June 19, 2024, for the Weingart Tower, a 19-story, 278-unit permanent supportive housing development in Skid Row for homeless people currently living in the area. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis speaks during a grand opening ceremony on Wednesday, June 19, 2024, for the Weingart Tower, a 19-story, 278-unit permanent supportive housing development in Skid Row for homeless people currently living in the area. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass speaks during a grand opening ceremony on Wednesday, June 19, 2024, for the Weingart Tower, a 19-story, 278-unit permanent supportive housing development in Skid Row for homeless people currently living in the area. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters speaks during a grand opening ceremony on Wednesday, June 19, 2024, for the Weingart Tower, a 19-story, 278-unit permanent supportive housing development in Skid Row for homeless people currently living in the area. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
State Treasurer Fiona Ma speaks during a grand opening ceremony on Wednesday, June 19, 2024, for the Weingart Tower, a 19-story, 278-unit permanent supportive housing development in Skid Row for homeless people currently living in the area. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Dignitaries cut a ribbon during a grand opening ceremony on Wednesday, June 19, 2024, for the Weingart Tower, a 19-story, 278-unit permanent supportive housing development in Skid Row for homeless people currently living in the area. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Weingart Tower I, the 19-story, 278-unit high-rise overlooking downtown L.A., features amenities like a cafe, a club room where residents can lounge and read or watch TV, a gym, music and art rooms, a computer lab, dog runs, terraces with community gardens and common balcony areas.
Tower I, which is at 555 S. Crocker St. near 6th Street, features 228 studio apartments and 50 one-bedroom apartments, three of which are for onsite managers. Forty units are reserved for veterans.
Each apartment comes fully furnished, with a full kitchen and private bathroom, plus heating and air conditioning. The facility, which will soon welcome its first residents, is described as “high-quality apartment living” on the Weingart Center’s website.
“This is not just a building. This is about people, about giving people dignity and respect,” said Kevin Murray, president and CEO of the Weingart Center Association.
The first tower cost an estimated $165 million, according to media reports.
During Wednesday’s grand opening ceremony, speakers said the costs break down to roughly $595,000 per residential unit. That includes the cost of construction, financing and the purchase of furniture and other supplies to outfit each apartment.
Part of the project was funded through Proposition HHH, a $1.2 billion bond measure that Los Angeles voters approved in 2016 to fund affordable housing for people experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless.
Murray, who previously served in the California state Assembly and state Senate, and other speakers at Wednesday’s event, said people who have been living on the streets deserve a place they’re proud to call home.
Having a gym where people can work on their physical therapy, or a music or art room for art therapy, are important to helping residents heal physically, mentally or emotionally, they said.
“We’re not just trying to house people. We are trying to keep them housed,” said Murray, who said the amenities will help keep residents engaged, give them a sense of community and help them maintain stability.
L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis, whose district includes Skid Row, spoke of the support that residents of the neighborhood deserve.
“Skid Row is a neighborhood. It’s a community,” Solis said. “It’s not something to be looked down or thought of as second-class. It really does need this uplifting.”
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass also cited the need to provide outlets like art and music to help residents heal from traumas they’ve experienced while living on the streets.
“Skid Row is the epicenter of the unhoused situation in our city, but it also provides the hope and the opportunity … and we will see the transformation of Skid Row,” she said. Bass said she hopes the Weingart project will serve as a model that can be replicated citywide.
The Weingart tower provides “permanent supportive housing” with onsite counseling, case management and other support services for residents.
Although these services will be offered, there are no requirements for residents to participate in counseling, substance abuse treatment programs or other services for which they qualify.
Murray said other renters in the city, including those who live in other subsidized housing and receive Medicare or social security benefits, aren’t required to participate in programs as a condition of being a tenant.
“There is no reason our clients, who just happen to be low-income, should have to have these barriers that they don’t have,” he said.
Rent will be based on income, and many tenants who end up at the Weingart Towers will likely use federal Section 8 housing vouchers to help pay their rent.
Construction of Weingart Tower I began in September 2021. The second tower, a 12-story high-rise featuring 104 units, is in the pre-development stage. Combined, the two towers will provide 382 residential units, four of which will be for managers.
The Weingart Center is also in the midst of building a separate 17-story, 302-unit permanent supportive housing development across the street from the Weingart Towers site.
Column: In tackling homelessness, it’s Housing First, not Housing Only
Related Posts:
Denver Basic Income Project gave homeless people cash and saved taxpayers almost $600,000 in the process, report says News Anecdotally, the Denver Basic Income Project has saved lives. According to new research on the program that provided no-strings-attached cash to 807 homeless adults in Denver, it also saved taxpayers significant money throughout its first-year pilot program. The savings manifested in program participants staying in homeless shelters less frequently, requiring…
Big San Jose affordable housing project lands key construction loan News SAN JOSE — A big housing development that would produce well over 150 affordable homes in San Jose has landed a crucial construction loan that will enable the project to be built. Villa Del Sol, an affordable housing development that could sprout at 1936 Alum Rock Avenue in the Mayfair…
Big San Jose affordable housing project lands key construction loan News SAN JOSE — A big housing development that would produce well over 150 affordable homes in San Jose has landed a crucial construction loan that will enable the project to be built. Villa Del Sol, an affordable housing development that could sprout at 1936 Alum Rock Avenue in the Mayfair…
Sky's skid reaches four with latest loss to rival Fever News INDIANAPOLIS — Don’t call the Sky-Fever matchup a rivalry. It’s not to the Sky’s players, anyway. They remain adamant that it’s just another game. It’s a refrain that has been repeated over the years by competitors across all sports who don’t want to set themselves up to lose. Despite the…
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok