Hollywood Breaks Ground On Homeless Housing

LOS ANGELES, CA — Ground was broken Thursday on a homeless bridge housing project for women in Hollywood, the latest in a large-scale effort by Los Angeles city leaders to install the temporary facilities in each City Council district to help ease the region's homeless crisis.

The former library at 1403 N. Gardner Street will provide 30 beds and services for homeless women and is expected to be completed by late summer next year.

"Today, we are turning a new page in the story of homelessness in Hollywood and Council District Four," City Councilman David Ryu said. "I am proud to work with the city, county and community on turning this former library into a home, and into a beacon hope for women facing homelessness."

Ryu's office said the residents of the facility will work with case managers to transition into long-term housing, and that renovation work will primarily take place inside the building, with the original facade and exterior trees on the city-owned former library remaining in place.

"This project is something we're extremely proud to work on at the Bureau of Engineering, and it's just one of the many projects we are involved in that address homelessness across the city of Los Angeles," City Engineer Gary Lee Moore said. "We're looking forward to getting the project done and opening the doors to the residents next year."

The facility will be part of Mayor Eric Garcetti's "A Bridge Home" program, which calls for temporary homeless facilities in each of the city's 15 council districts.

The Bridge Home program seeks to install shelters in the from of trailers, large tents or empty buildings with 24-hour security and on-site support workers who would offer services and attempt to transition people into permanent supportive housing or drug treatment programs.

Garcetti and the City Council have dedicated $20 million for the Bridge Home program in the current fiscal year, and Garcetti also said tens of millions more could be available now that the state has provide the city with $85 million in budget surplus money for homeless programs. The goal is to have at least one temporary facility in each of the 15 council districts.

City News Service; Photo: Shutterstock