What’s happening with the Holloway homeless facility?

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The Public Safety Commission at their Monday night meeting received an update on the controversial Holloway Interim Housing Program, a newly initiated project by the city aimed at addressing homelessness.

The project involves transforming the Holloway Motel into a temporary housing facility, for which the city has acquired more than six million dollars in state funding. The program is set to be managed by Ascencia, an organization that already collaborates with the city on interim housing and outreach services. The construction process has begun, with bids having been sent out, and the program is expected to become operational in the first quarter of 2024.

Commissioner George Nickle took the opportunity to clarify several aspects of the program in response to questions and concerns from residents. He emphasized that the facility would not function as a traditional homeless shelter where people line up for a bed each night. Instead, it is designed to be an interim housing solution where people can stay for up to 90 days. Residents will be admitted to the program only after undergoing an assessment and intake process. This vetting ensures that only those who are willing to work towards bettering their situation would be admitted. Security measures have been planned to ensure the safety of residents, with 24/7 on-site security.

Residents of the program will have access to a wide variety of supportive services. These services range from basic needs like meals to more specialized care such as case management and housing navigation. Additional support will be available in the form of financial literacy courses, job training programs, and potentially even arts-based therapy programs. All these services aim to assist residents in their transition from homelessness to stable, permanent housing.

Questions were raised about the timeline of the construction and the subsequent admission of residents. While the goal is to complete construction by July of the following year, it was acknowledged that this timeline could be influenced by various factors, including possible delays in the supply chain. After the completion of construction, a 90-day window exists for admitting residents into the facility, in accordance with the terms of the state funding received for the project.

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Another important topic that was discussed involved what would happen to residents who reach the end of their 90-day stay without having secured permanent housing. The program’s operators have the flexibility to extend the stay for individuals who are close to securing housing but are waiting on certain processes, such as inspections. On the other hand, those who do not show progress towards achieving their housing goals may be exited from the program for non-compliance.

Community involvement was also discussed as a way to build positive relationships between the residents and the surrounding community. While the smaller size of the site may limit the types of community involvement that can be accommodated, the expectation is that Ascencia will adapt its existing community engagement practices to this new setting. This could mean recruiting volunteers and community organizations to participate in various support programs for the residents, helping to facilitate their eventual transition into stable, permanent living situations.

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Kevin
Kevin
11 months ago

I find the comments here just sad. Based on these comments, I can only think the commenters solution to homelessness is to round them up and exterminate them. This project is a model for dealing with homelessness not tied to severe mental illness, meaning it addresses the homeless who needs help to get back on their feet and do not fight major mental illness issues. The new court will hopefully deal with that. If the commenters have better solutions, please enlighten us.

Plan Check
Plan Check
11 months ago
Reply to  Kevin

Wait a second! So this project isn’t for the people we see living on the streets in Weho???!!!

voter
voter
11 months ago
Reply to  Kevin

Your comment is both smug and outrageous. You’re the only one talking about exterminating people.

BloodshotEyedGuy
BloodshotEyedGuy
11 months ago

What’s next? Spending another $6 mil to turn the old Big Gay Starbucks into a facilty for pansexual, biracial, transcontinental drag queen circus clowns (PBTDQCC+)?

Had Enough
Had Enough
11 months ago

Pretty much everything at the City is shady.

Blueyedguy
Blueyedguy
11 months ago

Get rid of that dreadful city council, especially SHYNE, BYERS, and ERICKSON, ASAP!

voter
voter
11 months ago

A significant number of these transients will end up living on our streets. We invited them in and they’ll never leave.

Weho1
Weho1
11 months ago

I think this was just a ploy for the city to acquire some prime real estate. They’ll either end up determining the property need to be knocked down or they’ll just begin buying the whole corner including the cvs..

Scott
Scott
11 months ago

This project was greenlit without any public meeting.
EVERY city council member should be held accountable for the lack of transparency. Shady and secret isn’t acceptable when you’re a representative of the people.

Morty
Morty
11 months ago

If the city would stop making it so expensive for businesses to operate in Weho maybe things like rent and food would cost less. People are being priced out of Weho left and right. Every new law like raising the minimum wage to the highest in the country only makes Weho more expensive. This is why I will never vote for any more city commissioners that do not have some type of business experience or business knowledge. You cannot solve these problems if you are ignorant about the possible solutions. Shoving homeless people in a motel is not going to… Read more »

Joshua88
Joshua88
11 months ago
Reply to  Morty

It will give them some temporary stability.

How is that you blame the city for the expensive leases?

How do you dare deprive working people of the ability to live a decent life on more reasonable wages?

WehoQueen
WehoQueen
11 months ago

This is the biggest waste of money in the entire history of the City, and that includes Sepi’s mysterious car repairs from the recent demand register article. I can’t think of a way to ruin the city any faster. Giving out and rewarding out of town freeloaders who made bad life choices million dollar homes, one zip code away from 90210, is literally insane. Imagine how great it would have been if a developer bought the CVS, Holloway and IHOP lots, and put up some high rise condos for millionaires, and all the tax money and other benefits it would… Read more »

Stevie
Stevie
11 months ago

Will Unite11 be appointed the caretakers of keeping these “hotel rooms” clean? Asking for a few friends.

WehoQueen
WehoQueen
11 months ago
Reply to  Stevie

Yes. They will soon get $30 an hour, to make the beds of the homeless, cause we really want them to feel welcome in our city. The City Council will do whatever it takes to make sure we attract more homeless. We don’t have enough now, we can always use more. Oh, and I hear there will even be nightly turn down service, and a chocolate on every pillow.

Gimmeabreak
Gimmeabreak
11 months ago

Yeah, well ….. we’ll see.

Enough!
Enough!
11 months ago

Everything sounds good on paper.