On April 24th, Los Angeles County joined its partners The People Concern and the City of Compton to celebrate the grand opening of Willow Tree, one of the County’s first conversions of a motel into permanent supportive housing through the state’s Homekey program. In addition to providing 100 new homes for people who have experienced homelessness, Willow Tree provides residents with on-site supportive services, including case management and mental health support, to help them to regain long-term housing stability.
By combining housing with on-site supportive services, Willow Tree represents a comprehensive and cost-effective solution to homelessness. “This project is proof of what we can achieve when we work together with empathy, vision, and purpose,” said Compton Mayor Emma Sharif.
“This serves as an example of cities, the County, and community-based organizations including terrific partners like The People Concern all coming together, identifying underused properties, and bringing them to life to create lasting solutions and overall healing for our community,” said Sarah Mahin, director of Housing for Health at Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. Housing for Health provides the funding for services.
This innovative project highlights an adaptive-reuse model that significantly reduces per-unit development costs, nearly 50% lower than typical new construction for comparable projects in the region.
Neneh Baryoh was one of the first resident to move in. “I now feel safe, and I feel like myself again,” she said.
Over three rounds beginning in 2020, LA County was awarded Homekey grants to acquire 32 properties, mostly hotels and motels, with a combined 2,157 units to convert into interim or permanent housing for people experiencing homelessness.