Shipping containers in South Los Angeles becoming homes for the homeless

LOS ANGELES - The economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has led to an increasingly desperate situation for thousands of homeless people living on the streets. One organization believes it can be part of the solution — by turning shipping containers into homes.

The project, located in the 800 block of W 82nd Street, includes 16 2-bedroom supportive housing units, a manager’s unit, and a community room, totaling 8,640 sq. ft. of building.

The developer, 82nd Street Development, is financed predominately with private capital from caring individuals, with the balance funded through a $1 million grant/forgivable loan awarded to Flyaway from LA County’s Housing Innovation Challenge.

Currently, the containers are being shipped to the site and assembled. Once the development is completed, 82nd Street is expected to provide homes for 16 formerly unhoused families plus a resident manager.

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The development will be master leased to The People Concern, one of Los Angeles’s largest homeless service providers. The People Concern will be responsible for tenanting the supportive units with families experiencing homelessness using Los Angeles County’s coordinated entry system. It will also provide the wraparound, supportive services which are essential to keep tenants housed, healthy and safe. 

"We'll have a full-time on-site resident services coordinator that will help people with assistance like obtaining food, making sure they get to doctor's appointments, transportation, mental health care if residents need it," said John Maceri, CEO of The People Concern. "Anything residents need to maintain their housing."

82nd Street should begin housing tenants before the end of 2020.