Gov. Gavin Newsom has sent 10 more trailers to temporarily house homeless families in South Los Angeles, bringing the total to 20. Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, Mayor Eric Garcetti and Councilmember Herb Wesson were on hand when Caltrans delivered the trailers to Safe Landing for Families-Crenshaw/Expo. LA County Public Works Director Mark Pestrella, United Way of Greater Los Angeles President and CEO Elise Buik, and HOPICS Director Veronica Lewis also welcomed the trailers.
Ten families with children are expected to move into the trailers next week. They currently live in cars and dilapidated RVs or rent motel rooms in the immediate vicinity.
Ridley-Thomas spearheaded the effort to transform the LA County-owned site—a former Probation Department parking lot—into a safe, secure and welcoming place where each family can stay in a trailer and receive supportive services from the nonprofit homeless services provider HOPICS, which will also work to transition them into affordable apartments.
HOPICS—which stands for Homeless Outreach Program Integrated Care System – will provide supportive services at the site with funding from LA County’s Measure H and Prop. 63, the Mental Health Services Act.
“We are ‘all in’ to bring everyone in. This site – created in just over a month – is an example of how we can address the moral and civic crisis of our time,” Ridley-Thomas said. “By thinking outside the box and collaborating with our philanthropic and business partners, we now have two Safe Landing sites in South LA so that 20 families no longer have to live on the streets. This is the kind of comprehensive crisis response we need to fight homelessness with the compassion and urgency that our communities deserve.”
“The city of Los Angeles is mobilizing every resource at our disposal to confront the homeless and housing crisis, and I am grateful to Governor Newsom and the County Board of Supervisors for stepping up and delivering solutions,” said Garcetti. “The new temporary trailers will bring 10 homeless families off the streets – progress that reflects the strength of our local and statewide coalition determined to tackle this challenge head on.”
“For me, this is more than just policy, it’s personal,” Wesson said. “I’m proud to stand with my Governor and Supervisor to bring our brothers and sisters inside today. We must do more, and we will not waver until we’ve won this fight. These trailers are a physical representation of what we can do when we work together.”
“One of the most traumatic parts of becoming unstably housed for parents is a sense of losing the ability to control the environment and provide a consistent, safe space for their children,” Lewis said. “Safe Landing, along with the other interim housing projects we operate, allow us to restore that for parents who are on their journey to become stably housed.”
