Permanent Housing Solutions

During the past few weeks many of you have reached out with questions about news stories related to homelessness in our community. The efforts of Judge Carter have made the headlines and caused a lot of concern and confusion among advocates and service providers. His order on April 20 that L.A. officials move every unhoused resident of Skid Row into shelter by mid-October is alarming because it focuses solely on temporary solutions and potentially places our development of 600 permanent homes at risk.  

While we agree that every person living on Skid Row absolutely deserves a safe, stable place to sleep, the emphasis on temporary housing at the expense of lasting solutions jeopardizes the great progress made in creating more permanent homes through Measure HHH. While providing our unhoused neighbors a safe place to catch their breath is critically important, interim housing is not a permanent or long-term solution and should only be part of the journey for people permanently ending homelessness in their lives.

Similarly, the development of Tiny Homes or Pallet Shelter interim housing communities have received a lot of attention, and many of you have asked: Is LA Family Housing building Tiny Homes?  Which model would be most effective in tacking our city’s homelessness crisis?

I’ve said it before, and it bears repeating – it will take all models and all interventions working in synergy and with ample funding to move the needle on our community’s homelessness crisis. So yes, LAFH supports the City's investment in multiple interventions, but not at the expense of permanent solutions.

Homes end homelessness, and LA Family Housing has invested our time and resources into creating interim housing with spaces for mental health and substance abuse recovery support at the Arroyo and the Willows. LAFH is also working to build permanent supportive housing – apartment buildings with on-site support services that help chronically homeless individuals and families remain happy, healthy, and stable in their permanent homes.

With your support and advocacy, we will continue our work to provide immediate interim housing for our unhoused neighbors, while maintaining our commitment to permanent housing solutions. Thank you for being part of the solution with us.