As many as 72 women and children experiencing homelessness are expected to be housed at the Bailey Street Residence facility in Boyle Heights, which had a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday.
At the opening, councilmember Kevin de León said the complex at 1904 Bailey Street –just steps from the State St. Recreation Center– will be the largest interim housing facility in Los Angeles’ Eastside.
“For too many, it’s a daily struggle to find a safe space to sleep and to provide for their children’s needs,” De León said. “We hope the Bailey Street Residence will become a model for the city of Los Angeles and encourage more resources to address the challenging issue of homelessness in our communities.”
Data from the latest available Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s homeless count, showed that homelessness among Latinos in Los Angeles County increased 26% from 2020 to 2022. Among those, women and women with children were found to be more vulnerable to violence, sexual assault and domestic abuse.
The new residence will have individual spaces set aside for 56 women and 16 family beds for women with children. The home will offer a variety of supportive services through Volunteers of America and on-site medical care in partnership with Clínica Romero, a community health clinic.
No one was living at the facility Thursday, but facility overseers said a survey of potential residents was ongoing and that Bailey’s first occupants were set to move in in the coming weeks.
Thursday’s ribbon-cutting was timed to coincide with this week’s Mothers Day celebrations. De León spoke about how his own mother struggled with his family’s housing insecurity.
“I watched my single immigrant mother, a woman with a third grade education, a woman that provided the roof over my head, the clothes on my back and the food on the table for me and my two older sisters, endure housing insecurity every single day,” the councilmember said.
“My mother is my motivation in all that I do and why I do everything in my power to help the women who brought us all into this world.”
