A city-owned parking lot on Schrader Boulevard in Hollywood may be used as an emergency shelter for homeless individuals under a motion introduced on April 20 by Councilman Mitch O’Farrell, 13th District.

Councilman Mitch O’Farrell’s proposal calls for temporary bridge housing for homeless individuals to be located in a parking lot on Schrader Boulevard in Hollywood. (photo by Edwin Folven)

The proposal calls for trailers to be located at the site for three years to house people while permanent units are built. Known as bridge housing, the trailers will provide shelter and will be staffed by case workers who will link occupants with services such as health care, substance abuse and mental health counseling, and employment training programs. O’Farrell said 24-hour security would monitor the site, and program managers would be there at all times.

“It will provide up to 100 beds for people who will then be called formerly homeless individuals,” O’Farrell said. “It’s getting people into housing immediately.”

The idea for the temporary shelter in Hollywood comes on the heels of a plan to do the same near the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument and Olvera Street. Council members in all 15 districts are looking for similar spaces to house unsheltered people after Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced a program last week in which the city will provide extra funding for services in districts that create shelters.

O’Farrell said he was already working to identify sites for bridge housing, as well as locations for permanent accommodations. The parking lot at 1533 N. Schrader Blvd. is between Sunset Boulevard and Selma Avenue and is operated by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation. In addition to private spaces for occupants, the emergency shelter would have places where people could store their belongings – a critical component in getting them to accept housing.

Kerry Morrison, executive director of the Hollywood Property Owners Alliance, said homelessness has reached the crisis level and something needs to be done to get people indoors until housing funded by Measure HHH is finished.

“I don’t see how we could not support it. It’s really sad to see the situation people are experiencing,” Morrison said. “The shelter is intended to be a bridge to a permanent solution. People are not going to languish in that shelter. It’s a place to stabilize people so they can be engaged with the outreach teams.”

Ferris Wehbe, a longtime Hollywood resident and vice chair of the Central Hollywood Neighborhood Council, also supports the emergency shelter proposals.

“I think doing something like this is not only needed, it will be very important in starting to tackle the homeless situation,” Wehbe said. “It will help reduce the encampments and provide resources for these folks.”

One goal of the mayor’s plan is to address encampments that have sprung up throughout the city. Once the shelters are in place, the city plans to remove the encampments and clean the sidewalks more frequently. More funding will also be dedicated to outreach teams that contact homeless individuals on the streets and attempt to link them with services.

Brian Folb, owner of Paramount Contractors and Developers, a property owner and property management company with buildings throughout Hollywood, said he is on board with the emergency shelter plan. His offices are located just south of the parking lot on Schrader Boulevard.

“You have to start taking steps to assess the situation and get people into places where it can be addressed,” Folb said. “It’s a problem that is not going to be solved unless everyone makes sacrifices and takes steps to address it in any way they can.”

The proposal next goes for consideration by the council’s Homelessness and Poverty Committee. The full Los Angeles City Council would be required to approve the plan, and the public can weigh in every step of the way. O’Farrell said he hopes the shelter can be in place as early as late summer.

“We need to duplicate this across the city,” O’Farrell added.