A Bridge Home Facility Opens In Wilmington To House 100 Homeless Adults
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — The latest A Bridge Home site was opened in Wilmington Tuesday in partnership with a local veterans group to temporarily house 100 homeless adults.
"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," Councilman Joe 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."
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.
U.S.VETS — Long Beach, which offers supportive transitional housing services and more, will operate the facility.
"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."
As the new facility opens, Los Angeles sanitation teams will work to clean and restore spaces previously occupied by encampments.
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.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
