by: Myja Gary
Today, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and the L.A. City Council approved the acquisition of the 294-room Mayfair Hotel in Westlake, a building that will be used for homeless housing.
The purchase is an expansion of the Inside Safe program to help combat the homelessness crisis in L.A. by bringing people inside from tents and encampments and preventing encampments from returning.
Participants of the Inside Safe program will have access to onsite support services and care and social facilities, in addition to 24/7 onsite security inside and outside of the Mayfair
“We need to do all that we can to get Angelenos off the streets and into temporary housing as fast as possible while permanent housing is still being built,” said Mayor Bass. “The proposed purchase of the Mayfair is an important step toward that goal.”
Programming plans for the Mayfair are still in the early stages of development and Mayor Bass will work with the community and partners to prepare to begin operations in the coming months.
“I want to thank Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, Council leadership and the Chairs of the Council Committee on Housing and Homelessness, Government Operations, and Budget, Finance and Innovation for partnering with me to bring people inside and save lives through a citywide approach,” said Mayor Bass. “Together, with actions like this, we can sustain our momentum toward confronting the homelessness crisis.”