The Holloway Interim Housing Project is officially open for residents. The 20-room facility offers stays up to 90 days along with wraparound services to help people experiencing homelessness. The goal is to use the property to transition unhoused individuals into stable permanent housing.
The ‘father’ of West Hollywood, Vice Mayor John Heilman reflected on 40 plus years of cityhood and the birth of the West Hollywood’s first homeless facility. “We know homelessness is a problem for our residents, its a problem for our businesses, but we can’t solve the problem without having places to take people. And this really has been a missing link in our services. We have been funding shelter beds but they are outside of West Hollywood. This gives us opportunity to get people into a sheltered environment quickly, we wont have to transport them a far distance and hopefully get them back on their feet and give them the services they need. It’s a great day for us to have this here.” All the city council members as well as city staff, commissioners, residents, and many politicos.
Mayor Byers told WEHOonline “The Holloway opens today, it’s been a real exciting piece of work that the city has been undertaking for many many years now, and to finally open and to set this next chapter providing services for the unhoused community right here in the city is truly exciting. We are so grateful for the community, and staff, and Ascencia for leading on this project.”
All city council members were present, along with Genevieve Morrill, President and CEO of the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and Assembly member Rick Zbur, along with dignatiries from Supervisor Lindsey Horvath’s office, and Los Angeles Assessor Jeffrey Prang’s office.
Laura Duncan, Executive Director at Ascencia was humble in her remarks: “At Ascencia we know that progress begins with people. Dedicated staff to meet individuals where they are and community partners who help us carry the work forward. The Holloway is more than a site, its a place where someone can arrive with nothing but exhaustion and in need of a plan, hope, and the support of a team that will not give up on them. Our staff will be here 24/7 not only to provide safety and services but also to offer compassion, patience, and the steady encouragement they need to rebuild their lives. We see Holloway as a place where trust is rebuilt, where residents can take the first step towards addressing health needs, re-connecting with family or preparing for employment.” “Every success story will belong not only to Ascencia but to West Hollywood as a community because this program is rooted in collaboration and shared purpose:
West Hollywood resident Jonathan Harling, was excited for the project. “I support this project, I think its a good idea. It’s great to help those in need. Whatever we give, we get back”.
Another resident who did not want to go on record espoused the potential of the location as anything other than a homeless facility noting the loss of the most affordable motel in WeHo.
In June of 2022, the City of West Hollywood accepted a State of California Housing and Community Development Homekey Grant in the amount of $6,007,661 which was unanimously approved by the city council to purchase the property to be converted to an interim housing program.
At the time Mayor Sepi Shyne affirmed the program. “The Holloway Interim Housing Program is a collaborative, common-sense solution that responds to community needs. True stakeholder collaboration is key to the success of this program, and we’re responding to the community’s priorities by directly addressing the issues related to homelessness.” The full story here: https://wehoonline.com/weho-seals-deal-to-turn-holloway-motel-into-housing-for-homeless/
This is in keeping with the spirit of West Hollywood. Too bad this spirit can’t be extended into the community. There will be no NO KINGS Rally in this City because WHY??? is the council not interested–maybe too busy lowering flags? We will have to go to Beverly Hills where there will be two.
This hysteria of a zombie apocalypse of dangerous unhoused people with super-human strength is completely unfounded. Over 40% of the unhoused are women & girls and, the only females engaging in Twink bashing tend to be easily contained Santa Monica Karens. The 60% of unhoused men consists largely of those too old, too young and/or too sick to pose any real threat. The only real threat maybe posed by violent ex-cons who make up a very small % of the unhoused, dangerous ex-cons are far more common in wealthy populations. Unhoused people are significantly more likely to be the victims… Read more »
West Hollywood should be doing everything it can do reduce the number of dangerous people on our streets. Here we are paying for thousands of mentally ill, addicted, and dangerous people to invade our streets.
In a similar scenario locally, a private hotel was turned into a COVID homeless hotel, down near the Beverly Center. Apart from the myriad satellite encampment that sprung up in an orbit around the hotel and all of the negative quality of life aspects that resulted for locals, another aspect was it attracted drug gangs to the neighborhood who: got into drive-by gun battles with rival gangs; beat and robbed pedestrians at gun point; committed other strong arm crimes around the area All this aside from them trafficking meth/fentanyl etc into an otherwise quiet middle class neighborhood full of productive… Read more »
More or less WeHo celebrity wannabes need to learn the difference between how the LA area is represented on television & movies vs what’s going on in real life. YOUR figure of ~$900,000 per homeless person per year is NOT an accurate average, housing costs for the unhoused DON’T approach this amount anywhere in LA. The $900,000 figure appears in social media posts as a misrepresentation of a KTLA article, but it’s a specific expense, NOT a statewide average for homeless individuals.
You’re a day late and a dollar short – believe you Sigh, or their own lying eyes?
West Hollywood needs to follow the Housing First program has demonstrated its success with evidence showing to improve housing stability, reduces the issue of unhoused people, and leads to significant cost SAVINGS for communities. Studies and reviews consistently find that Housing First is MORE effective at reducing the unhoused people issue and improving housing outcomes than traditional “treatment first” models. Key benefits include improved housing retention, better health outcomes, and decreased use of emergency services, law enforcement, and incarceration.
the real issue it seems to me is that not one person in the comment section seems to know and understand what the Holloway projecct is all about. Hopefully people who come to the Holloway house will be able to find resources to help them get sober and have a roof over their head. What is with all of you “haters” who wish nothing but failure on the works of our city govt. Getting sober and off of drugs and living on the street is a path to nowhere. Here at the Holloway these citizens can find hope and sobriety.… Read more »
Please stop using the word “hate.” It seems today that when people disagree with each other they often say the other person is hateful or hates. That’s just ridiculous. We have a difference of opinion. In my opinion to bring people in off the streets and bring them into this facility without requiring that they stay off drugs or alcohol is doing them no service and not advancing them at all to be able to lead a productive life and be able to take care of their own home. This is throwing good money after bad. Perhaps it are local… Read more »
i see your point regarding the word “hate” which i had used exactly twice. but i do not think you realize what we hope for in creating a sober environment for people who are sick snd tired of living on the street. please give this program a chance to work. if your life is working out for you perhaps you might offer to volunteer and see what you can do to help those not as lucky as a lot of us.
I hope the staff and management walk the walk and live in the facility full time alongside these poor lost souls, sick and tired of living on the street. Maybe you can open up your homes/apartments so there’s no net loss of beds. Really give this program a chance
Using it once (the word hate to describe a difference of opinion) was too much. Be as equally concerned with dividing people using language like that as you are for these people that have problems that are not gonna get solved staying in this place for 90 days. Progressive policies have been in control of this state for decades. If they actually worked, we wouldn’t have the problems we have now – that continue to get worse with each year.
There is a nationwide homelessness problem.
Broaden your horizon just a little bit, okay?
Progressives have literally ruined almost every city they have been in charge of. They are the left’s version of MAGA. Just ignorance and failed ideas. This project just encourage drug use and turns WeHo into a magnet for drugs and poverty. We need to take a more moderate, rational approach. Sorry to say it – but not everyone should be able to live in WeHo. It isn’t our job to “house” people who cannot afford to live here. Sorry. We should be focused on increasing the quality of life for tax paying citizen. I’d rather make our city more friendly… Read more »
Stop calling people “haters” for exercising common sense.
You’re living in a dream world if you think this homeless motel…..will get these people functional again.
Just like giving free needles to junkies. It makes their miserable existence here permanent.
Appreciate your comment, Pat.
A complete and utter waste of money. And the same group will converge on the Weho Park Names Project AIDS Memorial in two weeks using the same speeches with a few key words moved around. Idiots, propagandists, leeches, con artists,
The same group padding themselves on the back for another great photo op. This program is another waste of taxpayers money. The vast majority of people coming into this facility will have mental health issues for drug or alcohol dependency. It’s not mandated that they stop using when they come into the facility so how in the world are they ever going to transition to their own home if they aren’t dealing with the core issues that landed them on the street in the first place?
OUR homeless residents who have to be transported to shelter beds then brought back to lie on our streets???
Why don’t they stay where the existing shelters are?
We’re recruiting homeless to come hang out in WeHo and providing the transportation to get them here?
How are they OUR homeless?
It’s a scam – you’re the mark. You’re paying for your own public deprivation. Manifest Evil wearing the skinsuit of empathy
….. and then we’re shamed for our lack of compassion when we say we don’t want them here.
I think if we follow the money we will find the real reason for our collection of the homeless. The federal government provides a lot to these NGOs and city councils who have no incentive to actually solve the problem because if they do the flow of money ends.
So do the excuses for not enforcing the camping ban stop now? Or the loitering and getting in people’s faces on Santa Monica Blvd stop?
You get a twofer – all the bad stuff from before, in addition to a new nexus of metastasized bad stuff, right in the busiest traffic intersection in the city
Mind bogglingly malicious acts by The Gang of Five
Thanks a lot, Sepi Shyne. Bringing an endless stream of vagrants to our neighborhood is a slap in the face to every woman in West Hollywood. There’s no doubt that crime will increase in the neighborhood and we’ll have even more scary people on the streets.
“There’s no doubt that crime will increase in the neighborhood and we’ll have even more scary people on the streets.”
It’s the only reason they’re doing this – shoving it down our throats – they hate you and want to hurt you
When most voters hear “people experiencing homelessness” or “pregnant people” they know they can’t trust that group to make serious decisions.
The real issue is drug abuse and mental illness……but they never take steps to address this. So the problem builds year after year.
The real issue is that our elected officials are actively conspiring to destroy everything anyone invested in the City of West Hollywood