The City of Los Angeles recently celebrated the Grand Opening of Weingart Tower 1, an affordable housing high-rise in the heart of Skid Row. The event was attended by city, county, and state leaders, including Business, Consumer Services and Housing (BCSH) Agency Undersecretary Melinda Grant; the Governor’s senior advisor on homelessness, Hafsa Kaka; Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass; HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez; and Congresswoman Maxine Waters.

Standing at 19 stories tall, Weingart Tower 1 has become the largest supportive housing project in the history of Los Angeles. The project provides 275 affordable homes reserved for formerly homeless persons. Each unit is completely furnished and includes a television, central heating and air, and a fully equipped kitchen. The tower also provides on-site supportive services, a gym, an art room, a soundproofed music room, a library, four dog runs, a ground floor cafeteria, and more.

A project of Weingart Center Association, Weingart Tower 1 was made possible by the assistance of its many partners, including Chelsea Investment Corporation, the Central City Association of Los Angeles, the City of Los Angeles, the County of Los Angeles, California’s Strategic Growth Council (SGC), and HCD.

Funding for this project included almost $7 million from HCD’s Multifamily Housing Program (MHP) and more than $13 million from the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) program, which is jointly administered by HCD and the SGC. The next phase, Weingart Tower II, is already under construction, having received an additional $20 million in MHP funding, and a third building is still in the planning phase.