For years, a vacant lot in downtown Los Angeles sat empty. It was once a parking lot and was slated to become a staging area for the construction of a new jail.

But in 2019, during the pandemic, county officials began considering the space to shelter homeless residents instead of being a new parking lot for Men’s Central Jail in the downtown.

They repurposed 60 shipping containers to create interim housing for people experiencing homelessness who were at risk of serious illness if infected by COVID-19.

Now, the innovatively designed Hilda L. Solis Care First Village, operated by LA County’s contracted service provider, Weingart Center, has so far sheltered more than 800 people, many of whom have moved on to their own apartment.

The 60,500 square-foot three-story project, which also includes 20 custom-manufactured mobile trailers, was completed in five months and officially opened in May 2021. 

The two main buildings contain 132 units of permanent housing, with trailers divided into five units that are utilized for interim housing. An administrative building includes dining facilities, laundry, and support services available to both temporary and permanent dwellers.

Unlike traditional shelters, each of the 232 units provides residents with their own room, including a private bath. The property also includes a dog park and green space.

L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis, who initiated the project, was skeptical at first about using shipping containers but was won over by the contractors.

“What once was supposed to be a staging area to build a new Men’s Central Jail will now serve as a safe space to address the housing, mental and behavioral health needs of our residents experiencing homelessness,” she said.

“It’s just like being at a Best Western, only smaller. That’s going to be the biggest eye-opener for other said public officials. Treating homelessness can be done with dignity and respect.”

“The goal is house people as quickly as you can,” Sarah Dusseault, a commissioner with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority who advised on the project. “Get people into housing right away, even if it’s going to be operated as temporary.”

Each building is three stories and formed by steel shipping crates, stacked on top of one another. The containers are fixed in place and use an attached structure of balcony corridors and stairs to make each unit accessible — and conducive to communal gathering.

Windows are also cut into every unit and the walls and ceilings of all of the shipping containers are fully insulated. Each container holds two living units, which come equipped with a bed, microwave, mini-fridge, television, and private bathroom. 

The facility, now operated by the Weingart Foundation, a grant-making organization in Southern California, welcomed its first residents in the spring of 2021 and reached full occupancy within one month.

“We’ve been open for three years, and currently, we have served close to 800 clients,” Chris Castaneda, a program manager with the Weingart Foundation, said in a video update in 2024. 

The Care First Village stands as a blueprint for the kind of progress that can be made when local leaders take swift action to meet immediate needs. “We’re so delighted to be part of the solution for homelessness,” said Mark Pestrella, director of public works.

“Public servants are all so excited to be given the opportunity to make a difference. People just dig in when they need to.”

Cover image: NAC Architecture.

Sources:

Longer form: the village putting care first. LA County.

Instead of a new jail, LA built a shipping container housing complex for homeless residents. Good Newsletter, Jan. 28 2025