This week, on Sherman Way near Lankershim, we achieved another milestone in the effort to reduce homelessness across the northeast San Fernando Valley.I am proud to announce my work to procure a homeless navigation center in CD2 has come to fruition. A place where people experiencing homelessness could store their belongings, use the facilities, take a shower, and have immediate access to housing placement professionals.
I obtained funding from three sources, including Measure HHH, to cover costs of the center.
The center will assist people with short term needs build trust and make a connection to social workers that can serve as a way out of homelessness. The site will also soon include computers, where people experiencing homelessness can look for job opportunities and services.
Mayor Garcetti, Laurie and Ken Craft from Hope of the Valley, which will operate the facility; Sarah Dusseault, chair of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority Commission; Marty Adams, general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power; Tony Royster, general manager of the Department of General Services; and Gary Lee Moore, city engineer, joined me at the podium Thursday to celebrate the grand opening of the first Homeless Navigation Center in the City of Los Angeles.
The center includes 120 storage bins, five showers, five restrooms, and hygiene services. People experiencing homelessness can store their items indefinitely, without the burden of having to lug them from place to place, complicating their efforts to find work and housing.
Along with bridge housing sites that will open soon in North Hollywood and Van Nuys, the navigation center is a vivid demonstration of my commitment to address the homeless crisis in CD2.