AWA+D’s first in-person event since March 2020 was a tour of the Hilda L. Solis Care First Village in downtown Los Angeles. We hope that this is the first of a series of project tours focusing on alternative housing solutions. The AWA+D Programs team is working on it, so stay tuned.
Six members got an informative behind-the-scenes peek at what it takes to design, construct, and operate an interim housing facility. Key takeaway: it takes a lot of committed & creative people working really hard, together.
From Felicia Yang, Senior Capital Projects Manager with Los Angeles County Public Works we heard about the herculean efforts of the design & construction teams to complete the project in 3 months, enacting double shifts & 7 day work schedules. From Louise Griffin, NAC Project Architect, we learned about the challenges of converting storage containers to dwelling units; permitting a commercial kitchen in a wood trailer module; and organizing volunteers to assemble IKEA furniture (which AWA+D will be helping with in the near future). From Laura Diego, Site Director with Weingardt we learned that each resident has access to a full range of supportive services from mental health to document assistance and even veterinary care.
It takes a village to house the homeless and at the Solis Village, providing CARE really is the FIRST priority.
