Los Angeles elected officials and homeless service providers gathered June 19 to celebrate the opening of a new 19-story shelter in downtown’s Skid Row, the epicenter of the city’s homeless crisis.
Known as the Weingart Towers, the first of two opened, boasting 228 studio apartments and 50 one-bedroom units—with three set aside for onsite managers.
Located at 555 S. Crocker Street, the building known as Tower I will soon welcome homeless individuals, with leasing details now available on Weingart’s website. Direct referrals from nonprofits will also help with placement, including The People Concern, Midnight Mission, the Veterans Administration and more. The developer describes the new offerings as “high-quality apartment living” and has set aside 40 units for veterans, according to its website.
Each room comes fully furnished with a television and includes a full kitchen, private bathroom, heating and cooling, and access to all amenities including a gym and library.
The 13-story Tower 2 is in development on S. San Pedro Street, directly behind Tower 1, and will feature 103 studio units, also for the homeless.
An expected opening date isn’t listed online, and the company didn’t immediately respond when asked about an opening date for Tower 2.
The Weingart Association last year opened a 50-unit building in Santa Monica to support seniors and veterans 55 and older, and has seven similar buildings in development, according to its website.
Partially funded through the 2016 voter-approved Proposition HHH, a $1.2 billion bond measure to fund affordable housing for homeless people, Tower I reportedly cost $165 million with each unit costing about $595,000, according to speakers at its opening ceremony.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said while it’s well known that Skid Row is the center of the city’s homeless crisis, it’s also a neighborhood deserving of high rise, quality housing.
“Skid Row is a community, it’s not just throwaway people, it is a community ... and to bring that community together in beautiful housing like this is what everybody deserves,” she said during the building’s unveiling.
The Weingart Center partnered with affordable housing developer Chelsea Investment Corporation for the project. Chelsea’s president, Jim Andersen, said the buildings’ amenities will serve as therapy for occupants, fostering growth.
“The whole concept of this building is to serve the whole individual, not just give them a bed, a sink, and a shower, but a place to grow and express themselves,” he said during the opening event.
Both towers will also offer counseling, case management, and drug abuse treatment services on-site but with no sober requirement for living there, according to Mr. Murray, head of the the Weingart Center Association.
Rent is income-based for those earning 50 percent or less of the area median income, which in Los Angeles is currently $98,200.
Across the street from Tower I, the Weingart Center also has plans for a 17-story building on 600 San Pedro Street providing the same wrap-around services for at-risk homeless people. Currently under construction, the building features 302 units, an amphitheater, courtyard, and areas for barbecue and fitness, according to the nonprofit’s website.
