Hilda L. Solis Care First Village

A HOMELESS HOUSING SOLUTION THAT WORKS

The Hilda L. Solis Care First Village, built on Vignes Street in Downtown L.A., took only five months to complete, despite construction taking place in a busy metropolitan area during the COVID-19 pandemic. The end result of that hard work is 232 full-service dwelling units across temporary and permanent modular structures, as well as a repeatable model for mitigating the homelessness crisis across the United States.

THE PROBLEM

Understanding L.A.’s Homelessness Crisis

Homelessness in L.A. and across the U.S. is not a new problem, but its depth and complexity increases almost every year. In 2020, more than 66,000 people were experiencing homelessness — a sharp 12.7% increase from 2019 —according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

THE CHALLENGE

Why Traditional Homeless Housing Building Methods Failed

Many projects have sought to solve homelessness in L.A. Among the most notable efforts has been the $1.2 billion Proposition HHH, the goal of which is to triple supportive housing production in L.A. Progress on the initiative has been very slow, and one culprit can be found in traditional construction methods themselves, which present several key obstacles that can slow down housing projects.

THE SOLUTION

L.A. HOMELESS HOUSING GOES MODULAR

Modular construction both reduces costs and truncates construction timelines. That is why off-site modular construction was presented as the solution to remaining on-time and on-budget for the proposed Vignes Street Project. In late 2019, led by Chair Hilda L. Solis, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to begin exploring short and long-term housing options, and in October 2020, the county broke ground on the property.

THE APPROACH

How The Hilda L. Solis Care First Village Came Together

As a modular construction project, units made from re-purposed shipping containers were fabricated in factory settings off-site while crews aid foundations, utility lines and similar elements on-site. This coordinated logistical approach —bringing people and materials together, nationwide, to work simultaneously — would be necessary to ensure the project’s successful completion within the short, five-month timeline.

Want to know more about this project? Download our extended case study below, to learn more about the ins and outs of the Hilda L. Solis Care First Village