A groundbreaking was held Wednesday for A Bridge Home facility in Los Feliz that will temporarily provide shelter for homeless people as they transition to permanent supportive housing.
The temporary structure at 3210 Riverside Drive will house 100 men and women currently experiencing homelessness and connect them with mental health and counseling services when it opens in June, according to Los Angeles City Councilman David Ryu.
"The Los Feliz Bridge Home will bring those currently living on the street or the banks of the Los Angeles River into housing and real, life-changing care,'" he said. "It is just one of four bridge housing centers open or underway in this district, making Council District Four one of the top districts for bridge housing."
The facility will include common areas, storage areas, a pet area and offices for residents to meet with counselors and social workers. The $5.6 million project is funded primarily through state grants and will be operated by the nonprofit organization People Assisting the Homeless.
"Angelenos are coming together to confront the moral and humanitarian challenge of our time -- the homeless and housing crisis," Mayor Eric Garcetti said. "The A Bridge Home program is saving lives by getting our homeless neighbors off the streets."
The project is supported by neighborhood groups including the Los Feliz Neighborhood Council, the Los Feliz Improvement Association, the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council, the Griffith Park Advisory Board, the Friends of Griffith Park, and the Griffith Park Adult Community Club, Ryu said.
Ryu said he was able to build support for the project over a series of small group meetings with the neighborhood, and he will continue to hold such meetings throughout construction.
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"A neighborhood isn't defined by its topography or wealth, but by the character of the people who live there,'' said Jon Deutsch, president of the Los Feliz Neighborhood Council. ``Together, as one neighborhood, we can confront this terrible crisis and ensure that everyone in Los Feliz has a roof over their heads."
The Los Feliz bridge facility will bring the total of new homeless housing units in the district to 272. Eight homeless housing or safe parking projects are open or under construction in Council District Four, for a total of 590 units of homeless housing when completed.
