LA awarded more than $47M to buy apartment buildings for homeless

Los Angeles was awarded more than $47 million to help its Housing Authority purchase apartment buildings to house people experiencing homelessness.

The Los Angeles Housing Authority received nearly $37 million to buy multifamily rental housing buildings near public transportation and other amenities. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said that project will offer 126 units for people experiencing chronic homeless and people who are at risk of becoming homeless. It will also offer case management and help people access behavioral and physical health services, trauma informed care, benefits, documentation, education and employment services.

The Los Angeles Housing Authority was also awarded $10.5 million to buy a newly constructed apartment building with 34 units that will be used to house people experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of becoming homeless. That site will offer case management to give people income support, access to health services, substance abuse treatment and eviction prevention.

Further details about both projects were not immediately available. Newsom said in his announcement Wednesday that the funding to Los Angeles is part of $116 million for seven new Project Homekey sites across California. Project Homekey is a program launched in 2020 to quickly convert buildings into permanent housing in an effort to address the state’s homelessness crisis.

Newsom said Wednesday that the state has housed thousands of people “at an unprecedented rate since the start of the pandemic.”

“Today’s announcement will bring 387 housing units for those most in need of a home, offering several essential supportive services with easy access to public transportation,” Newsom added.

Orange County was also awarded $17 million Wednesday to buy a former hotel and turn it into 62 units of housing for people who are homeless and chronically homeless. Newsom’s office said the project will initially serve as interim housing with plans to transition to permanent housing overtime. The project is near a transit station, grocery store, medical clinic, public library and pharmacy and on-site case management will be offered to residents.

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