LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Councilman Joe Buscaino and Mayor Eric Garcetti opened the latest A Bridge Home site today in partnership with a local veterans group to temporarily house 100 homeless adults in the Wilmington neighborhood of Los Angeles.
“I have championed bringing not one, not two, but three A Bridge Homes to my district because it is near impossible to help someone out of homelessness when they are unsheltered,'' Buscaino said. “Combining resources in the same location is a much more effective approach that gets people permanently off of the sidewalks while reducing the presence of encampments in our neighborhoods.''
The A Bridge Home program deploys outreach workers to help people from homeless encampments within the vicinity of the facility. Residents will have their own space with a bed, storage area, daily meals, clean bathroom and showers, laundry facilities, a pet kennel and other supportive services, Buscaino's office said.
With the opening of the Wilmington facility, Los Angeles sanitation teams will work to clean and restore spaces previously occupied by encampments. The Wilmington A Bridge Home location will be operated by U.S.VETS-Long Beach, which offers supportive services including transitional housing, permanent housing, employment assistance, and the ADVANCE Women's Program designed specifically for female veterans and their children.
“U.S.VETS is honored to be one of the service providers for A Bridge Home, expanding our ability to battle homelessness across the county,'' said Erik Miller, Long Beach director of U.S.VETS. “This is a safe haven for our vulnerable community, with the ultimate goal to get them back on their feet and create a path into permanent homes.''
The A Bridge Home sites in Watts, San Pedro and Wilmington in Buscaino's Council District 15 will house a total of 300 people at a time as they attempt to transfer to permanent supportive housing.Wilmington Bridge Home Site Opens to Temporarily House 100 Homeless