Homeless people on LA's Skid Row to move into swanky new tower block fit with a gym, café and art studio

A multi-story tower block built on Los Angeles's Skid Row, which is designed exclusively to house the homeless, is now open for leasing. 

The Weingart Towers is a 278-unit fully-furnished residential building that has a gym, soundproofed music room, television lounge, café, and an art studio inside.

This month, the sprawling building is all set to become a 'self-contained environment' that will take in city-dwellers living on the streets. 

New residents will be able to enjoy the swanky amenities, as well as appliance-filled renovated kitchens and wall-mounted televisions inside their apartment units. 

The building, which was entirely funded by public sources, will also provide on-site case management and physical and mental health care - designed to help its new residents get their lives back on track.

Out of the building's 278 units, 40 are also reserved for veteran households.

Each of the new-build apartments has at least one bedroom and a living area, kitted out with its own furniture. Residents will also be able to host family and friends at their dining tables and decked-out kitchens. 

The unhoused will also have access to six common balconies in Weingart Tower - and four of them will have access to dog runs.

Inside the new Skid Row housing, there is a ground floor café with a two-story glass wall facing a homely courtyard - as well as underground parking for those with cars.

Residents who live inside the units will be able to use the building's computer room and library, where they can access desktop internet and a plethora of literature.

Developers also hope to build a community spirit among the formally homeless residents by hosting movie nights at the café for all to enjoy. 

The new building also includes an all-access rooftop patio, where people will be able to enjoy the impressive LA skyline and meet with friends. There are also offices and conference rooms inside the structure for case workers to connect with the locals. 

A commercial kitchen on the second floor of the tower will also be serving Weingart’s 600-bed shelter next door - giving residents the option to either buy food at the kitchen or cook their own. 

The units are furnished with durable, but not flashy, materials and balconies have been built on each to keep people from convening in front of their buildings.

While renderings of the interiors have been kept private, Weingart's previous housing for the unhoused have provided insight into what the individual apartments will look like when they eventually open to leaseholders in the coming weeks.  

Keith Corley, a formerly incarcerated criminal, was provided with temporary housing through the Weingart Center's B7 Bridge Housing Program in April.

In a YouTube video shared by the Center, the overjoyed 68-year-old was seen opening the doors to his first-ever house and entering the property while leaning on his wheelchair.

Corley said that this apartment was the first he had ever owned in 40 years - and was thankful that he had finally been offered security and food. 

He was beaming as he walked into the apartment - which was decked out with hardwood floors, a sleek gray couch, a coffee table, and large windows facing out into downtown Los Angeles. 

The living room - which is open plan with the spacious kitchen - was kitted out with a television, sitting on a stand with ample storage. 

White cupboards with silver-trimmed handles ran all across the kitchen wall, which also featured a stovetop, oven, microwave, and a large refrigerator and freezer. 

Sitting at his new kitchen table, which is large enough to host friends, Corley laughed as he settled into his new digs: 'They made everything so easy because I didn't have anything. I don't have to steal. 

'I don't have to go out and do anything. I just go home and lay down.' 

Although the video did not feature the bedroom or bathroom, a glimpse from the hallway showed a separate room with a bed just off the main living space. Homes inside Weingart Towers are expected to have a similar floor plan and layout.  

Former Senator Kevin Murray, president and chief executive of Weingart Center Association said of the project: 'We're trying to make our little corner of the world look and feel a little better.

'We aren't in it for the developer fee, so we said let's just build the biggest thing we can.'

Talking about the structure and design of the property, Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Mercedes Marquez told ABC: 'You see the design, it's stunning. We're talking about world-class architecture. 

'A 100% affordable, permanent, supportive housing meant to house those with the biggest problems.'

Pete White, executive director of the Skid Row advocacy group Los Angeles Community Action Network also described the Tower as 'one important feature of what a stabilized Skid Row can look like. We 100% need more housing in Skid Row'. 

'I see the tower as providing a great need, a great housing need in Skid Row and a design that says poor residents are worthy,' he told the LA Times. 

Despite boasting over 200 hundred units and modern amenities, many officials believe that the Tower will barely make a dent in tackling the homelessness crisis. 

Andy Bales, former president of the Union Rescue Mission told ABC last year: 'Mobile homes, container homes, prefab homes - there's more ways we can address this crisis and get people off the streets. 

'We're supposed to build 10,000 units. We're maybe 20 percent of the way there after seven years?' 

News of the leasing comes months after a group of homeless people were found living in caves in California.

The groups, which were found in January, were removed from the eight caves - along the Tuolumne River in Modesto and they were emptied of belongings, furniture and 7,600lbs of rubbish, filling two trucks and a trailer. 

Some of the caves were decorated with murals, had broken floor tiles and one even had a makeshift fireplace with a chimney. 

Modesto Police Department said: 'This particular area has been plagued by vagrancy and illegal camps, which have raised concerns due to the fact that these camps were actually caves dug into the riverbanks.'

The community living in the caves had carved makeshift stairs into the hillside leading down to them. Some of the caves used to be fully furnished with bedding, belongings, food, a makeshift mantelpiece but also drugs and weapons. 

According to the June 2023 homeless count, about 71,320 individuals had no roof over their heads in LA County. 

The 2024 count took place in January and its results will soon be released.