LOS ANGELES, CA – Linc Housing, a nonprofit developer of affordable and supportive housing, joined Atlas residents, leaders from the City and County of Los Angeles, and community partners to celebrate the grand opening of Atlas, a 127-home affordable and supportive housing community. Sixty homes are for people who were chronically homeless and 66 are for people at risk of losing their housing. By addressing both urgent need and prevention, Atlas represents an vital step forward in Los Angeles’ efforts to reduce homelessness.
“Every home we make is a lifeline,” said Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Los Angeles City Council. “Atlas not only offers dignity and stability to people who have struggled with homelessness, it also helps prevent others from ever experiencing it in the first place. This new community is proof that when the city, county, state, and nonprofit partners work together, we can go the needle on homelessness.”
Named after the Atlas butterfly – a global symbol of transformation and rebirth – this is Linc’s first completed Project Homekey development in the region. Homekey is the State of California’s groundbreaking initiative to transform underused properties into long-term affordable and supportive housing.
“Atlas embodies the power of collaboration,” said Rebecca Clark, CEO, Linc Housing. “Thanks to Governor Newsom’s Project Homekey initiative, and the commitment of the state, city, and county, we’re able to bring more of the housing and services that people urgently need. At Linc, we know that solving homelessness requires both providing homes for people already on the streets and preventing others from losing their housing. Atlas does both.”
Before its renovation, Atlas, located at 1650 Florence Avenue in Los Angeles, was an uninhabited, recently constructed market-rate apartment building. Today it offers 126 one-bedroom homes and one manager’s unit, along with a community room with computer stations, case management offices, long-term bicycle parking, outdoor courtyards, and a rooftop deck.
The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) worked with the city and state to buy the building with State Homekey funding and provided project-based Section 8 vouchers that insure rent stability for residents.
“Without rental support, too many Angelenos risk falling into homelessness simply because market rents are out of reach,” said Lourdes Castro Ramírez, President & CEO, Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA). “HACLA is proud to be part of this partnership; not only to make sure our most vulnerable neighbors are housed, but also to ensure their security to remain housed long term.”
Many residents came to Atlas through the Los Angeles County Coordinated Entry System and the County’s Department of Health Services’ Housing for Health program, which provides the funding for wraparound services for residents who were homeless. Housing for Health also operates an innovative Homeless Prevention Unit that uses predictive analytics to identify and help people who are likely to fall into homelessness. About 35 residents were referred to Atlas through this effort.
“It takes far more resources to help someone recover from homelessness than to prevent it in the first place,” said Leepi Shimkhada, interim director of Housing for Health at the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. “Through Atlas, we’re doing both: supporting people who have lived on the streets with housing and care, while also preventing others from ever becoming homeless. With strong partnerships across the City of L.A., the state, and organizations like Linc, and guided by a ‘whatever it takes’ philosophy, we’re making sure people not only stay housed but also feel part of a community through on-site wraparound services.”
Residents who were chronically homeless receive wraparound services including mental and physical health care, employment counseling and job placement, education, substance use counseling, financial coaching, and community referrals. All residents also benefit from case coordination, health and wellness programs, workforce and financial development workshops, and digital equity initiatives.
For Roderick, a new resident, Atlas has been life-changing. After decades of homelessness and challenges with substance use, he is now stably housed and committed to his health. He also helps care for his mother who is living with dementia nearby at a care facility. “This new home has changed my life tremendously,” Roderick said. “I’m stable now, and I get to see my mom every day. I finally feel like I can build a future.”
The majority of financing for the initial acquisition came from Project Homekey funds from the State of California Department of Housing and Community Development, administered by the Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD). LAHD also contributed HOME/American Rescue Plot (ARP) funds, Proposition HHH funds, and funding from the Community Development Block Grant program. Additional HOME/ARP and LAHD reserve funding supported construction.
Renovations on Atlas started in May 2024 with designs by Y&M Architects and construction by T. Morrissey Corporation. The building is now fully occupied with residents moving in since March. All homes are for households at or below 30% of area median income.
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