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Housing & the Homeless

The Ninth District encompasses Central City East, which faces the unique challenges that accompany homelessness. Since taking office in 2001, I have worked aggressively to begin rebuilding the Central City East Community, to earmark funds to establish a year round Emergency Homeless Shelter Program and to promote regional solutions to address homelessness.   I also understand the need for all levels of housing from the development of supportive housing for the homeless to the creation of market-rate housing. I will continue to encourage development of all forms of housing stock throughout the district, with the goal of encouraging more mixed-use housing, home-ownership opportunities, and workforce housing.

Highlights:

  • Developed an ordinance to convey the Renaissance Building to the Downtown Women’s Center (DWC). New site will offer 72 units of permanent affordable supportive housing and increase the level of social services for homeless women in Central City East while also creating over 400 new permanent jobs, housing, 360 Construction jobs, and open space in the Toy District.
  • Joined forces with former Los Angeles City Attorney, Rocky Delgadillo to break ground on the demolition of an apartment complex at 69th and Main streets, which had been used for more than 20 years by the notorious 69 East Coast Crips and other Crips gangs as a headquarters for their sales of narcotics and the planning of murders, robberies and other crimes that terrorized the community.
  • Spearheaded and received unanimous support for an ordinance that creates a misdemeanor charge, with up to a $25,000 fine if a hospital is found engaging in the practice known as “patient dumping.” This measure offers a penalty for those found guilty of discharging patients to the streets in the City of Los Angeles without an adequate provision for their care and could result in misdemeanor charges filed against them.
  • Early advocate for leveraging Housing Trust Fund dollars with Prop 46 to create housing for the very poor homeless or in danger of becoming homeless. This includes permanent, supportive housing for persons with special needs.
  • Supports the over 3,000 existing housing units with supportive services for the special needs and homeless population that have been developed.
  • Committed to continuing to fight for the development of more housing with supportive services, and for more work force housing, senior housing and for affordable family housing in the 9th Council District.
  • In 2003, effectively lobbied the members of the Los Angeles City Council to provide more funding to keep the 2,000 bed emergency shelter system that traditionally operated from December to mid March open year-round. This unprecedented effort has allowed for an additional 250,000 bed nights with services for the homeless and continues to this day.
  • Worked closely with the Mayors office through the adaptive reuse ordinance to support the renovation and development of more housing, ranging from market rate units to single room occupancy, supportive housing for the formerly homeless. 1,380 units of housing have been completed using adaptive reuse in the Ninth District with more than 3,000 units in the pipeline.
  • Provided support for affordable family housing development that includes 3 and 4 bedroom apartments and town homes for low income working families as well as transitional housing for families that were homeless. Three of these quality projects have opened along Broadway and Figueroa streets in the Ninth District.
  • Supports development of housing along transit corridors in order to provide families with easy access to transportation and services.
  • Providing funds for home ownership programs through the Community Redevelopment Agency.
  • Supportive of senior housing developments in Council District Nine. Most recently, celebrated the opening of Rittenhouse Square, a beautiful newly constructed senior housing project with outstanding amenities like a fitness room, computer center, entertainment center, and interior BBQ/outdoor courtyard.
  • Continues to support an affordable housing component for developments that use city subsidies.