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A “Welcome Home” celebration led by Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell took place on Monday to congratulate 27 individuals who successfully transitioned from encampments to apartments. 

The newly housed individuals lived for years in tents and RVs in unincorporated Lennox, Walnut Park and Firestone Park, as well as in Hawthorne, according to a press release from L.A. County officials. 

They now live in The Dalton, which was built as part of a newly expanded initiative to increase affordable housing stock countywide through master leasing. 

Master leasing entire buildings allows the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority to secure apartments on the private rental market and lease them directly to people experiencing homelessness, including those with tenant-based rental subsidies who struggle to lease up with traditional landlords, the county said. 

“We are using every tool in our toolbox to support the transition of people experiencing homelessness into permanent housing,” Mitchell said. “Master leasing, combined with our successful Pathway Home effort, are game changers when it comes to getting people to come into homes more quickly.” 

27 homeless encampment residents move into new apartment complex
Supervisor Holly Mitchell with representatives from the L.A. County Homeless Initiative, St. Joseph Center, L.A. Care Health Plan and Health Net at the “Welcome Home” event for 27 people settling into their new apartments after years of unsheltered homelessness. (L.A. County Homeless Initiative)

Pathway Home is a “full-circle solution” to help homeless services get more people off the streets and directly into interim housing before ultimately moving into safe, permanent homes. 

The county has partnered with nonprofit service providers PATH and St. Joseph Center to assist Pathway Home clients during their stays at both interim and permanent housing. Both organizations will provide case management and connections to crucial supportive services, L.A. County officials added. 

To add to Monday’s celebrations, Mitchell presented all the new tenants with housewarming gifts, and L.A. Care Health Plan and Health Net hosted a luncheon to formally welcome them to their new homes.