How Our Community Learned About the Midvale-Pico Interim Homeless Housing Project

On July 24, 2023, some Midvale-Pico area residents, but no businesses, received a letter from Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky of Council District 5 (CD5). The letter announced a plan to remove a city of Los Angeles-owned parking lot #707 at 2377 Midvale Avenue and in its place construct an interim homeless housing facility/shelter with planned operation for ten years. Our community leaders were not given the opportunity to provide feedback and input when we were told this project is a “done deal”. It is even more egregious that our councilmember bypassed established notification protocols and bylaws. At a community information session, general details of the project were inconsistently shared with us at separate stations with no opportunity to ask questions in a town hall-like setting, as was requested. Our community has been repeatedly treated with disrespect and lack of transparency. Our local community leaders have been met with resistance to have substantive conversations in face-to-face meetings with our councilmember to discuss important and essential aspects of situating a homeless housing facility/shelter in this location and explore alternative locations.