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Dozens who lived in encampments along 110 Freeway are now in housing
L.A. Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez (right) shakes hands with Thomas Stewart, who used to live in an encampment near the 110 Freeway behind them.
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Adolfo Guzman-Lopez/LAist
)
On Thursday morning, L.A. Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez stood at Lacy Street Neighborhood Park in the shadow of the 5 and 110 freeway interchange. Just last year, she said, the Lincoln Heights park and the areas near the freeway were filled with unhoused people. But now, thanks to a $6 million state grant awarded last fall, the park is clear and dozens of people are in temporary and permanent housing.
“Today we’re here to celebrate that 59 of our neighbors, human beings, finally have a roof over their heads,” she said.
The funds were secured by Hernandez from California’s Encampment Resolution Funds, which targeted a 4-mile stretch of the 110 Freeway.
A long to-do list before housing is secured
The grant helped pay health and social workers from public and private agencies and nonprofits, including employees with USC’s California Street Collaborative.
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Recent rulings have struck down requirements in L.A. and Pasadena for landlords to pay thousands of dollars to tenants who couldn’t afford large rent hikes.
These workers helped people straighten things out before they moved into housing, like finding IDs, matching housing with disability needs and space for pets.
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That kind of help requires building trust between the worker and the unhoused person, said Kaitlin Schwan, director of the California Street Collaborative.
“And it takes an investment of resources and a lot of coalitions, a lot of partnerships across street medicine, housing providers, service providers,” she said.
Los Angeles Global Care has been chosen as the primary interim housing provider. It also provides daily meals to those transitioning to housing, help with pets and case management.
Rigo Vega was unhoused and lived near the 110 Freeway for four years.
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Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
/
LAist
)
“I used to live right here under the bridge for like, four years,” said Rigo Vega, who attended the announcement at the park.
Outreach workers, he said, helped him get food and clothes, and the paperwork needed to get into housing last November. Now that’s settled him enough for him to set a goal for himself, “to work, to get a job,” he said.
Hernandez’s office said the goal is to house 11 more people with the grant funds.
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