Elgin Nelson
With an insurmountable rise in rent prices, many young adults struggle to find safe, quality, affordable housing. This leaves vulnerable youth at the risk of homelessness. Thus, LA County, in collaboration with Wellnest Emotional Health & Wellness, are set to provide 24 new interim homes for LA County’s Transitional Age Youth aged 18-24 at Exposition Park.
Holly Mitchell, Board Supervisor of District 2 recently celebrated the groundbreaking for the project, known as ‘The Nest on Exposition.’
“This housing is possible thanks to $2.8M from the County’s Homelessness Initiative, nearly $600,000 from the Department of Children and Family Services, and over $7M in funding from the State,” said Mitchell.“Thank you to our County and State partners for helping us create vital housing for residents in the 2nd District.”
Governor Gavin Newsom has poured more than $154 million in funding for new housing across the state and of that total, Los Angeles County is poised to see roughly $37.2 million, going toward a trio of projects in Exposition Park, Hollywood, and Lancaster.
“There is no more important task than addressing homelessness, especially homelessness as it relates to young people,” said California Department of Housing and Community Development Director Gustavo Velasquez. “It is unacceptable for young people to have to couch surf, live in cars, or huddle under bridges or inside tents along the roadside in our great state.”
Replacing a surface parking lot just west of Exposition Boulevard’s intersection with Vermont Avenue, The Nest on Exposition will offer 25 apartments averaging around 300 square feet each, alongside amenities such as a laundry facility, service provider offices, and community rooms.
Supported by nearly $7.7 million in funding from California’s Housing and Community Development’s Homekey program, this initiative is part of Homekey’s broader effort, having funded 250 projects and facilitated the creation of 15,319 permanent and interim homes to date. With a commitment to affordability for at least 55 years, these properties will support over 167,000 Californians in preventing or escaping homelessness.
“Homekey has been critical to creating much-needed housing for people experiencing homelessness and these latest grants will benefit those who are particularly vulnerable,” Los Angeles County Homeless Initiative executive director Cheri Todoroff said in a statement. “By combining Homekey with other state and local funding sources, we’ll be able to provide our young, older, and medically fragile residents a safe place to stay.”