Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Sharing Love With Others is making sure the homeless on the streets aren’t forgotten. Photo by John Kenji Hawley

 

The Los Angeles City Council voted today to authorize the city to execute leases for homeless shelters in Harbor City and Tarzana.

The council approved the motions on a 14-0 vote, with one member absent, to authorize the Department of General Services to negotiate and execute no cost leases with:

— The Salvation Army for a property at 1221 N. Figueroa Place in
Harbor City to be used as an interim housing facility with up to 80 beds; and

— the Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission for a parking lot at 6065 Reseda Blvd. in Tarzana to be used as an interim housing facility with up to 146 beds.

Both shelters will be part of the“COVID-19 Homelessness Roadmap,” a 2020 agreement between the city and county to establish 6,700 new homelessness “interventions” by Dec. 16. The “interventions” include new units in permanent housing facilities, shelter beds, safe parking spots and other types of assistance to homeless people.

Funding for the two newly authorized shelters have already been approved through July 30, 2022, according to the city clerk. The annual cost to operate the Tarzana site will be about $3 million, with the city responsible for about $1.46 million. For the Harbor City shelter, the city is responsible for about $800,000 of the site’s total annual cost of $1.6 million.