A new 95-unit housing facility for the homeless opened Wednesday in Cypress Park.
The New Beginnings project was developed on what was once a vacant lot near the 5 freeway. Each unit has enough space for a family of up to 3 to 4 people, including pets, according to Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez.
“It’s not just a place for people to sleep. It’s a place for people to live,” she told KNX News’ Pete Demetriou. “They have a kitchen, they have full bathrooms, access to all the support that they need.”
Hernandez said the facility partnered with John Wesley Health Centers to provide medical care and social services to residents living at the site.
Half the battle over getting New Beginnings up and running was making sure the property was level and getting utilities into the location, Hernandez said. The prefabricated units can be quickly set up wherever vacant or underutilized land is available.
“We have a lot [of space] in the back that we can add more housing that we're looking into expanding,” Hernandez said. “We as a city should be utilizing our city properties as efficiently as possible for this.”
The mayor’s office is working to locate more land parcels for similar development throughout 2024.
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