Special to WeHoville.com
The Los Angeles LGBT Center hosted a virtual opening celebration Saturday for its new landmark youth housing development, with appearances from newly elected councilmember Nithya Raman and comedian Mac Kahey.
Situated in the heart of Hollywood, the nearly 13,000-square-foot housing complex offers state-of-the-art amenities to its residents, with a building featuring four stories of sunlit bedrooms, a ground floor community room with accompanying kitchen, a library and computer lab and case management offices to support and help stabilize the lives of the youth that come through there.
The facility is across the street from the Anita May Rosenstein Campus, where residents have access to a multitude of services including mental health care and counseling, education and employment placement.
The housing facility fulfills a dream of Center CEO Lorri L. Jean who championed the building of an ambitious capital campaign to fund its construction.
“These apartments will literally change our young residents’ lives,” she said in a statement. “For many of them, this is the first time when they will have a home of their own. For all of them, it means a chance to building a better, brighter future.
“But this project is not enough. There are thousands more youth in our community who still face the burdens of homelessness and all of its challenges: employment, food insecurity, mental health services.
“This building is a model for how we can start to better meet all of their needs. It is an example of how a community organization — backed by amazing supporters— can partner with our city to create an affordable housing solution with wraparound health and social services. Today, we rightfully celebrate this collective vision, passion, and hard work!”
Jean said the housing center secured funding almost overnight thanks to Jordan Pynes, president of Thomas Safran & Associates, a California-based affordable housing developer. While Covid slowed production, she called it is a testament to the leadership within both companies that the opening was only delayed by a few months.
