W. Hollywood Agrees to Lease Warehouse Space for the Homeless

A plan for a $1-million comprehensive center for the homeless in West Hollywood moved closer to reality last week, with city officials announcing an agreement to lease and renovate 18,000 square feet of warehouse space to house the facility.

“It was a good negotiation, and we’re pleased, especially when you consider how difficult it can be to find someone even willing to talk about a possible center for the homeless,” said Mark Winogrond, director of the city’s Department of Community Development.

10-Year Lease

The agreement, which must be approved by the City Council, calls for a 10-year lease at $119,000 a year for the second floor of a furniture warehouse at 1033 La Brea Ave., on the city’s east side.

Winogrond said the agreement includes an option to lease the facility for an additional five years as well as right of first refusal should the property be sold.

Officials estimate that it will cost $600,000 to renovate the warehouse, and $500,000 a year, in addition to the lease expense, to operate the center. The city hopes to acquire up to $525,000 from federal, state and county sources to help pay for the renovation.

“If everything were to happen just right, assuming the council approves, we think we’re talking about opening the facility in another 10 months or so,” Winogrond said.

The council, which in March approved negotiating the lease, is to consider the matter Aug. 15.

Jodi Curlee, the city’s social services director, said the multipurpose center will have 70 beds.

Officials have said they want to establish a nonprofit corporation to operate the facility, which is to include an emergency shelter, a drop-in center, a food program and counseling services.

West Hollywood, a city with a population of 37,000 and an estimated 300 to 700 homeless people, has been grappling with the problem of the homeless for months.

Closed at Night

The issue took on added urgency last December after the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department recommended that the city’s two parks--where an estimated 150 of the homeless were living--be closed from midnight to 6 a.m. Authorities cited an increase in crime in the parks, often involving homeless people as victims.

The City Council in June approved restricting the park hours but, out of concern for homeless people living in the parks, decided to open the West Hollywood Park Auditorium as a nightly emergency shelter until a permanent shelter opens.

Equipped to accommodate 50 people, the shelter has operated at capacity for the last two weeks, with as many as 20 people turned away each night.

Authorities have reported few problems with curfew violators since the new law went into effect, but some merchants near West Hollywood Park have complained about an influx of homeless people near the park since the emergency shelter opened.

Opinions Sought

Curlee said one of the first tasks officials face is to “assure those merchants and residents on the east side (near the proposed permanent shelter) that we want their input before deciding on anything in terms of how the shelter will operate.

“We’ve already gotten some feedback, primarily from business people in the area who are a little nervous about it because they don’t want to see a repeat of the situation experienced in Plummer Park.”

Plummer Park, on the city’s east side near the site proposed for the permanent shelter, has long been considered a problem by authorities. Merchants and residents have complained of crime related to a large transient population in the area.

“One of the beauties of the La Brea site is that the warehouse itself is back off the street, insulated from businesses and residences,” Winogrond said. “We think that will be a big plus in dealing with people’s concerns.”