Los Angeles – Mayor Karen Bass today was joined by City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto to announce that the City of Los Angeles is taking action to preserve and rehabilitate nearly 2,000 units of permanent supportive housing owned by the Skid Row Housing Trust, which recently announced it is unable to continue operating its 29 buildings in Los Angeles.
"We approached this crisis from the stance that failure is not an option. Losing nearly 2,000 units of housing would be devastating to Skid Row, would be felt citywide, and, undoubtedly, people would have lost their lives," Mayor Bass said. "As we scale our programs to house more Angelenos, we need to ensure that we make more housing available. If we want to help and house folks in Skid Row, we need to have housing in Skid Row. This was truly a partnership, with the City Attorney stepping up in a huge way. We are going to be just as bold when it comes to preserving housing as we are about building housing."
“This action is just one example of the unprecedented level of collaboration among our elected officials coming together under Mayor Bass' leadership. We are seeking this Public Health and Safety Receivership not only to protect and keep housed the 1,500 people who live in these buildings now, but to enable hundreds more to move off the streets,” said City Attorney Feldstein Soto. “Preventing people from falling into homelessness and preserving the housing we've already got are essential to this work. I am very proud to partner with our Mayor, Council and Controller as the City continues to make progress.”
Feldstein Soto continued, "I am incredibly proud of my office and grateful to our multidisciplinary team of legal professionals and staff who came together to get this done."
Earlier today, the City Attorney filed this petition seeking to establish a Public Health and Safety Receivership for the Skid Row Housing Trust, and nominated Mark Adams, President of the California Receivership Group, to be appointed receiver. A receivership is a legal process that allows a court-appointed person, a receiver, to take control of a property, address the issues, bring it into compliance and improve the quality of life for residents and the surrounding community. As receiver, Adams will work with the City to make sure buildings are rehabilitated and maintained so that units are not left vacant.
Currently the Founder and President of the California Receivership Group, Mark Adams has dedicated his life to helping California communities. A lifelong Angeleno, Adams sat on the board of directors for Chrysalis through 1987 and was a co-founder of the Blue-Ribbon Citizens’ Committee on Slum Housing, which served as the catalyst for L.A.'s substantially expanded inspection program. In 1999, Adams became the first receiver ever to be appointed under the California Health and Safety Code section authorizing health and safety receivers.
*press release courtesy of the Office of Mayor Karen Bass.