LA County eyes acquisitions of 18 hotels, apartments for homeless

Sites considered under Project Homekey range from Castaic to Carson

(iStock/Illustration by Steven Dilakian for The Real Deal)
(iStock/Illustration by Steven Dilakian for The Real Deal)

Los Angeles County has targeted 18 hotels and apartment buildings for a new round of housing purchases for homeless residents.

The potential acquisitions mark a second round of Project Homekey, which provides $1.45 billion in grant funding to local jurisdictions statewide to purchase hotels and apartment buildings for conversion to permanent supportive or interim housing, Urbanize Los Angeles reported.

They also follow a decision by the City of Los Angeles and its housing authority to spend more than $500 million in Project Homekey funds to buy 16 hotels and apartment complexes for homeless residents.

The county and its development partners are now eyeing nine properties from Castaic to Carson that could serve as future homes. The individual costs of the potential purchases or development projects were not disclosed. Together, they amount to 1,132 units to house the homeless:

Sign Up for the undefined Newsletter

  • Avenue Hotel, 321 N. Vermont Ave., Koreatown, with 73 rooms for supported housing
  • 818 Hotel, 20157 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills, with 100 rooms for interim housing
  • Best Western, 111 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro, with 60 units for interim housing
  • Hampton Inn, 767 E. Albertoni St., Carson, with 135 units for supported housing
  • Castaic Inn, 31411 Ridge Route Rd., Castaic, with 50 units for supported housing
  • Forsythe Building, at 506 N. Evergreen Ave., Boyle Heights, with 40 units for interim housing. The 108-year-old hotel housed Japanese-Americans returning from concentration camps after World War II.
  • La Casa Inn, 10317 Whittier Blvd., Whittier, with 101 units for interim housing
  • Sands and Tropics motels, 43135 and 43145 Sierra Highway, Lancaster, with 38 units for interim housing
  • 1228 S. Normandie Ave., Pico-Union, unbuilt complex planned for 76 units, once slated for affordable housing
  • LAX Suites, 11838 Aviation Blvd., Del Aire, with 48 units
  • Lyfe Inn & Suites, 355 S. Alvarado St., Westlake, with 44 units for interim housing
  • Pacific Coast Inn, 716 S. Pacific Coast Hwy., with 20 units for supported housing
  • Knights Inn, 130 E Palmdale Blvd., Palmdale, with 100 units for supported housing
  • Ramona Motel, 3211 W Jefferson Blvd., Jefferson Park, with 20 units for interim housing
  • Economy Inn, 12873 San Fernando Rd., Sylmar, with 33 units for supported housing
  • Tropicana Motel, 1730-1740 E. Compton Blvd., Compton, with 40 units for interim housing
  • 6724 Tujunga Ave., North Hollywood, unbuilt complex planned for 100 units of interim housing
  • Sea Rock Inn, 14032 S. Vermont Ave., Harbor Gateway, with 53 units for supported housing

The state received $2.75 billion in federal funds to bankroll Project Homekey over the next two years. The state allocated around $358 million to L.A. County and municipalities in the county.

A 2020 count found more than 66,400 residents were homeless in Los Angeles County. Of those, nearly 41,300 were in the city of Los Angeles. The next count was scheduled for Feb. 22-24.

[ULA] – Dana Bartholomew

Read more