Wave Staff Report
SOUTH LOS ANGELES — Ground has been broken on two separate projects that, when completed, will bring 119 new rental units to South Los Angeles.
One of the projects is designed to provide affordable housing for families. The other is designed for young people transitioning from the foster care system into adulthood.
“It’s our goal to prevent families from falling into homelessness and ensure that young people exiting foster care have a high quality place to call home and the supportive services needed to navigate a complex public system,” said Holly Benson, president and CEO of Abode Communities, the developer for the project. “I am so proud to bring these investments to South L.A., and provide a much-needed place for families and transitional age youth to find their independence and achieve their personal goals.”
The Central Avenue Apartments, at 8911 S. Central Ave., will be the family project, and The Carlton, at 5407 S. Western Ave., will serve transition age youth, young people between 16 and 25 who have been in the foster care system or have other issues that put them in risk of becoming homeless.
The Carlton is expected to complete construction in January 2026 and the Central Avenue project is expected to be completed in summer 2026.
Work on the housing projects come on the heels of the release of the 2024 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, which showed an overall decrease in people experiencing homelessness in the city and county of Los Angeles.
Homelessness in Los Angeles County decreased by 0.27% to an estimated 75,312 people. Homelessness in the city of Los Angeles was down 2.2% to an estimated 45,252 people.
Permanent housing is up 18% at an all-time high. 28,000 housing placements were made this year, bringing the total over the last seven years to more than 110,000.
“We earned this decrease in homelessness through collaborative efforts and leadership of our mayor,” said City Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson, who represents part of South Los Angeles including the area that includes the Carlton project. “Our continued teamwork in South L.A. exemplifies the city’s dedication to providing affordable permanent supportive housing for our families and youth,”
“Increasing the availability of affordable housing in South LA is crucial to preventing homelessness,” said Councilman Curren Price, who represents the area that includes the Central Avenue project. “To stem the tide of individuals entering homelessness faster than we can house them, prevention must be at the heart of our strategy.
“Our comprehensive approach must focus on keeping existing housing affordable and creating more affordable options,” Price added. “This is essential to effectively address and prevent homelessness across the region.”
Both developments will feature courtyards, playgrounds, a community room, bicycle parking, onsite property management and space for supportive and resident services.
will partner with St. Joseph Center to meet the supportive service needs of transition-age youth at the Carlton project.
The 2024 homeless count saw a 16% decrease of unhoused transition age youth, but also saw a 7% increase in people experiencing homelessness in the South LA Service Provision Area 6 of the county. The count estimated that on any given night there are 13,886 people experiencing homelessness in South Los Angeles.
“It’s good to see that a higher proportion of people experiencing homelessness are inside and sheltered where it’s safer and smoother to transition to permanent housing, but that means that the work of affordable housing builders is more important than ever,” Benson, the head of Abode Communities, said. “By keeping our focus on creating affordable homes, we can make sure that people in shelters get to come home permanently.”
Both developments are financed utilizing a combination of permanent financing, low income housing tax credits, funding from California Department of Housing and Community Development, from the affordable housing managed pipeline from the Los Angeles Housing Department, and $32.9 million in project-based rental subsidies from the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles. The Central Avenue project also benefited from a $4.5 million grant from the state Department of Housing and Community Development’s infill infrastructure grant program.
