A new lawsuit aims to halt the construction of a homeless shelter in Griffith Park, arguing that Los Angeles officials skirted city and state rules when they approved the project on a Riverside Drive parking lot.
The Los Angeles City Council voted in December to push forward with the planned shelter and begin awarding funding for the nearly $6.6-million project, which is slated to include a 10,800-square-foot structure with approximately 100 beds and trailers for showers, restrooms and administrative offices. It is expected to break ground in late February or early March.
The county is slated to lease and operate the temporary facility for three years as part of L.A.’s “bridge housing” program, which aims to get homeless people off the streets while permanent housing is still under construction. More than 36,000 people are homeless in Los Angeles, including more than 27,000 people living without shelter, according to the last count.
The lawsuit was filed by a group of nearby residents and property owners called Friends of Waverly Inc., including neighboring resident Victor Adjemian, who had raised concerns with City Councilman David Ryu about the planned site.
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