The City of Los Angeles is home to a slew of run-down, seedy motels that are notorious for attracting squalor and crime. Now, thanks to a plan approved by the city council Monday, 500 of them will be repurposed and turned into housing for the city’s homeless vets.
Under the new agreement, private and nonprofit developers will purchase the motels from private owners and turn them into supportive housing. The city will then issue vouchers that cover rent and other services. They will be paid for through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Proposition 41.
"Nobody else is doing this around the country," said former federal homelessness czar Philip Mangano, who participated in the discussions that led to the deal. "There are business people involved [in homeless housing] but not to this scale."
The idea is an ingenious example of public-private partnerships. In addition to providing shelter for the city’s homeless veterans, it promises to reduce blight and allows landlords to profit from the venture. That means residents are more open to the idea of homeless housing in their backyards. It also allows the city to cut through the red tape usually associated with housing developments, providing an almost immediate solution to a very pressing problem.
There are an estimated 2,700 homeless veterans currently living in Los Angeles County. Those who are able to take advantage of the program will do so in January when the apartments are scheduled to open their doors.
Read more about the plan here.