2 Dead in Possible Overdose Outside Hollywood Women’s Shelter

A law enforcement officer puts up police tape at a crime scene in a file photo. Samantha Laurey/AFP via Getty Images

LOS ANGELES—Detectives responding to reports of a possible homicide on Oct. 15 discovered two dead bodies inside a pickup truck in the parking lot of a women’s homeless shelter in the Hollywood neighborhood.

Detectives determined the deaths did not appear to be suspicious and an investigation is ongoing, the Los Angeles Police Department told The Epoch Times on Oct. 18.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office identified both deceased individuals as Hispanic males, adding that it can take up to three months before a cause of death is determined.

By Thursday, reports had begun circling on social media about two apparent overdose deaths in the parking lot of the women’s shelter, located at the landmark YWCA Studio Club on Lexington and Lodi Place in Hollywood.

A message posted to NextDoor and the Facebook page of the Hollywood Alliance, a neighborhood organization, reported that the bodies “went unnoticed for many days.”

The Hollywood Alliance did not respond to a request for comment.

The post also detailed longstanding concerns among neighbors over a “significant decline in safety and quality of life” since the shelter opened in 2018 and a lack of response from authorities.

People Assisting The Homeless (PATH), which operates the shelter under the umbrella of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s “A Bridge Home” program, did not respond to requests for comment.

“This raises serious concerns about security and oversight at the shelter. We’ve also observed multiple instances of drug use among residents, which is deeply concerning for a facility meant to aid in recovery. Emergency services—police, ambulances, and fire trucks—are being called to the PATH Women’s Shelter nearly every day, sometimes multiple times a day,” Hollywood Alliance wrote.

A woman's shelter is located at the YWCA Studio Club in Hollywood, Calif., in May 2022. Google Maps/Screenshot via The Epoch Times

The parking lot of a woman's shelter located at the YWCA Studio Club in Hollywood, Calif., in May 2022. Google Maps/Screenshot via The Epoch Times

According to city records, PATH maintains 124 interim housing beds at the site, and operations are funded by the county at $1.4 million annually, while the city pays nearly the same amount to lease the property.

Like all government-funded homeless shelters in California, the Bridge Home facility is a “Housing First” shelter, meaning that services—such as treatment for substance abuse disorders or mental illness—are entirely voluntary and cannot be a precondition of housing.

The news comes at a time when authorities in Los Angeles and across the state are facing increasing scrutiny over how they spend billions in taxpayer funds to address the homeless crisis.