LOS ANGELES (CNS) — Los Angeles’ newest tiny home village, which is in North Hollywood’s Alexandria Park, opened early for public tours of the facilities that began housing up to 200 homeless Angelenos this week.
The 103 tiny homes are 64-square-feet and cost $43,000 per bed, or $8.6 million total, according to Councilmember’s Paul Krekorian’s office.
Krekorian, who represents the district, said, “for people who are currently living on the streets, to have their own private space — with a door that locks, with air conditioning, with heating, with electrical supply, with shelves that they can put their items on, with drawers that they can store their items on, with a bed — this is a life-changing moment to go from living in a tent on a sidewalk to living in your own private, secure, hygienic place like this.”
It is the second tiny home village to open in Krekorian’s district.
The first, which is on Chandler Street, has 39 units and cost $5.4 million, which was spent mostly on electrical and sewage work, according to Krekorian’s office.
The Alexandria Park tiny home village, which is along the Hollywood (101) Freeway, is operated by Hope of the Valley, which provides three meals per day, on-site showers, bathrooms, laundry, and counseling and navigation services. Krekorian said that transitional housing sites run by Hope of the Valley typically house people for three to four months before transitioning them into permanent housing.
Mayor Eric Garcetti spoke at the opening for the tiny home village and urged California officials to commit to an initiative being called for by the leaders of 13 of the state’s cities to put at least $4 billion a year for at least four or five years toward homelessness.
This isn’t just an LA problem, this is a Fresno problem, an Oakland problem, this is a Long Beach problem, a Santa Ana problem, a San Diego problem and a Sacramento problem. It is everywhere in this state and not just in this state, but let’s focus on what we can do in California,” Garcetti said.