Following the recommendation of the City Administrative Officer, the Los Angeles City Council has voted to move forward with plans to convert a series of mostly-vacant hotels into interim housing.
The properties, which carry a combined price tag of approximately $105 million, will be purchased using over $68 million in grant funding through the State's Project Homekey program, paired with nearly $37 million in local matching funds. The 10 hotels - which are located in the West Adams, Exposition Park, North Hills, Reseda, Westlake, El Sereno, Harbor Gateway, and Chatsworth - include:
- Best Inn - 4701 W. Adams Boulevard;
- EC Motel - 3501 S. Western Avenue;
- Econo Motor Inn - 8647 Sepulveda Boulevard;
- Howard Johnson - 7432 Reseda Boulevard;
- Panorama Motel - 8209 Sepulveda Boulevard;
- Hotel Solaire - 1710 7th Street;
- The Nest - 253 S. Hoover Street;
- Titta's Inn - 5333 Huntington Drive North;
- Travelodge (Normandie) - 18606 Normandie Avenue; and
- Travelodge (Devonshire) - 21603 Devonshire Street.
While the Solaire and Howard Johnson hotels are currently used for the Project Roomkey program, and will remain occupied as such for the near future, the remaining of the properties are largely vacant, and are expected to reopen as interim housing within 90 days of purchase.
The properties will provide shelter for up to 536 unhoused persons, when operational.
Separately, the City's Housing Authority is in the process of acquiring five additional hotel and apartment buildings - including a Best Western in North Hollywood and a Super 8 in Canoga Park - using an additional $39.7 million in funding obtained via Project Homekey, paired with $30 million in city matching funds. Those properties will account for 214 interim housing units when operational.
Lastly, the Council voted to adopt a recommendation from the CAO to provide $20 million to allow Volunteers of America to move forward with the conversion of an industrial facility at 6800 S. Avalon Boulevard in South Los Angeles into a shelter facility.
The initial phase of construction - consisting of 98 beds - is already complete. The full project, consisting of as many as 400 beds, is expected to open in September 2021.
Los Angeles County, in a separate effort, has secured Project Homekey funding to purchase nine hotels in other cities and unincorporated communities. Those properties will be repurposed as interim housing for more than 600 people.
The hotel purchases via Project Homekey will be used primarily to provide shelter for unhoused persons living within 500 feet of a freeway, as well as those aged 65 or older, or otherwise considered especially vulnerable to COVID-19. The target population of the matches that of a June 2020 settlement agreement between the City and County, approved by Federal Judge David O. Carter, which requires the creation of 6,000 new shelter beds, adding to 700 which were already in development.
- Project Homekey (Urbanize LA)