A bridge housing facility for homeless families is in the works for a property located just east of Eagle Rock Boulevard.  

According to a motion introduced yesterday by Los Angeles City Councilmember Jose Huizar, the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles has approached the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority regarding the potential reuse of the St. Barnabas church at 2109 Chickasaw Avenue as a shelter.  The one-story building, vacant for the past three years, could house approximately 12 families based on an initial examination by LAHSA.

Though funding may already be available to operate a bridge housing facility at St. Barnabas, LAHSA is currently estimating the cost of capital improvements necessary to prepare the 1920s church for such use.  Huizar's motion proposes that the City should participate in the evaluation process and explore potential funding sources for the needed improvements.

The item has been referred to the City Council's Homelessness and Poverty Committee for consideration.  

Huizar's 14th District became the first to open a bridge housing facility in Fall 2018, when 45-person shelter opened on a city-owned parking lot across the street from Union Station.  Though each of the 15 members of the Los Angeles City Council has pledged to open a bridge housing facility in their district, only three have done so to date.