Homeless to Get 42 Apartments

The city Housing Authority Commission today voted unanimously to open up 42 vacant apartments in city-owned buildings to temporarily shelter homeless families. The families will be allowed to move into the apartments as early as this weekend.

The experiment will continue for 90 days, with each family spending about a week in an apartment, while Los Angeles County officials try to find them more permanent homes. The city owns 21 housing projects, with 8,700 units designated for moderate, low-income, elderly and handicapped people. The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development will provide rental subsidies and the city will provide furniture for the apartments, officials said.