In just under five months, a vacant lot in downtown Los Angeles between the county jail and a rusted hulk of a factory was transformed into the Hilda Solis Care First Village. The 232-bed Vignes Street development has shattered the belief that homeless housing takes years to build and is astronomically expensive. Supervisor Hilda Solis, who initiated the project with a motion adopted by the Board of Supervisors on Sept. 2 is astonished at the work that was done in such a short time. The project is a hybrid of both permanent and temporary structures to be used for housing and shelter. The two main buildings, constructed of once-used shipping containers, have 132 units of permanent housing. The main buildings, placed on concrete foundations to make them permanent, serve as interim housing. The trailers, placed on temporary supports, can be moved in the future, leaving open the option to build permanent buildings to expand the housing. Solis foresees this development as a step towards transforming the area around social benefit.
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This L.A. project shows that homeless housing can be done quickly and cheaply (1/15/21)
