ABOVE: A Michaeljohn Horne and Thomas Eugene Jones Youth Housing residential room, photo via LA Blade.
The Los Angeles LGBT Center previewed a new landmark youth housing development Thursday. Built from the ground up in a former parking lot, the Michaeljohn Horne and Thomas Eugene Jones Youth Housing is a one-of-a-kind building, providing 25 supportive housing apartments for young adults ages 24 and under.
The preview precedes the Center’s virtual opening celebration scheduled for Saturday, April 10, with appearances from newly elected council member Nithya Raman and comedian Mac Kahey.
Located in the heart of Hollywood, the nearly 13,000 square foot housing complex is inviting, sleek and modern; offering state of the art amenities to its residents. The building features four stories of sunlit bedrooms, a ground floor community room with accompanying kitchen, a library and computer lab and case management offices, where the necessary support can be offered to stabilize the lives of those that come through.
The facility sits across the street from the Anita May Rosenstein Campus, where residents have access to a multitude of services including mental health care and counseling, education and employment placement.
Abel Tovar, a loyal case manager who’s been with The Center for four years, explained how residents are screened by the Los Angeles Coordinated Entry System. Once admitted, they sign a one year lease. For Abel, the first and most important question to ask new residents will be, “what do you need?”
The Housing Facility is from a long list of accomplishments from Center CEO Lorri L. Jean. When outlining her goals for facility, Jean presented an ambitious capitol campaign, detailing the need to construct a new housing development.
The housing center secured funding almost over night thanks to Jordan Pynes, President of Thomas Safran & Associates, a California-based affordable housing developer. While Covid slowed production, it is a testament to the leadership within both companies that the opening was only delayed by a few months.
The housing facility is like nothing else in the nation. For Jean, a central function is to help increase the self esteem of the residents, and provide them with the support and stability they need to make their next steps. For many who stay at 1119 N. McCadden Place, it will be the first welcoming home they have lived in.
“These apartments will literally change our young residents’ lives. For many of them, this is the first time when they will have a home of their own. For all of them, it means a chance to building a better, brighter future,” said Jean. “But this project is not enough. There are thousands more youth in our community who still face the burdens of homelessness and all of its challenges: employment, food insecurity, mental health services.
“This building is a model for how we can start to better meet all of their needs. It is an example of how a community organization—backed by amazing supporters—can partner with our city to create an affordable housing solution with wraparound health and social services. Today, we rightfully celebrate this collective vision, passion, and hard work!”
One of the future residents, Robert, who requested to only be identified by his first name, is 21 years old and optimistic for what the future holds. He is stepping away from what he described to the Blade as a “complicated past and difficult year” into a more stable future.
“If you have a positive mindset, positive things will come to you,” he said.
