A vacant grocery store has been converted into a beautiful apartment complex to permanently housed people transitioning out of homelessness. Las Palmas Apartments in Wilmington offers 53 units of permanent housing accompanied by wraparound supportive services.
“For dozens of people who have reached the end of their rope and find themselves living on our streets, this place is going to be that lifeline they so desperately need,” Supervisor Janice Hahn said. “These 53 beautiful apartments and the welcoming environment that I know everyone here will provide is a far cry from where these residents are coming from. Here they’ll know they’re safe and, most importantly, cared about.”
Supervisor Janice Hahn meets one of the new residents at Las Palmas Apartments during the grand opening ceremony.
Las Palmas Apartments successfully reuses unique architectural features of the original structure — a vacant single-story grocery store — and blends them with a new four-story residential wing. Aside from fully furnished homes with all utilities included, the property also features a central open-air courtyard, community room, and resident services rooms. LA DASH bus routes and other public transit options are nearby.
Las Palmas Apartments was co-developed by Brilliant Corners and The Richman Group. Brilliant Corners will also provide on-site case management services for residents of Las Palmas, and Richman Property Services will provide property management services. Designed by award-winning architecture firm KFA, the development is financed in part by HHH Challenge funds from the Los Angeles Housing Department and California Department of Housing and Community Development No Place Like Home funding, administered by the Los Angeles County Development Authority (LACDA) and the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health.
“The LACDA is honored to be part of the team that contributed to the creation of 53 fully furnished housing units for individuals who have experienced homelessness,” said Emilio Salas, LACDA Executive Director. “Once a vacant, single-story grocery store, Las Palmas Apartments now offers beautiful housing with access to transportation to help its residents manage their everyday needs.”
“The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health is dedicated to supporting every person’s journey of recovery and wellbeing,” said Dr. Lisa H. Wong, Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH). “Our investment in Las Palmas demonstrates our commitment to ensuring each individual in our care has a place they can call their own, and a community to call home while they start new chapters of their lives with renewed hope and support.”
“The opening of Las Palmas Apartments marks a significant milestone for Brilliant Corners, representing our first multifamily permanent supportive housing development in LA County,” said William F. Pickel, Chief Executive Officer at Brilliant Corners. “Through adaptive reuse projects like Las Palmas, we are utilizing the existing built environment to provide much-needed housing and supportive services to our new residents. We are immensely grateful to our partners and everyone who made this project possible.”
“The development of Las Palmas was an intensive, collaborative effort, and we’re so proud of the work from our team, our development partners, and municipal leaders to see this essential community to the finish line,” said Rick Westberg, Executive Vice President at The Richman Group — co-developer, co-owners and on-site property manager for Las Palmas. “The redevelopment of this site required the cooperation and support of numerous organizations, city departments and offices, but the results speak for themselves and represent an important step toward addressing the local affordable and supportive housing need.”
