Enriched Residential Care Facility, 444 S. Crocker Street
Summary
SCH Number
2024080073
Public Agency
Los Angeles County
Document Title
Enriched Residential Care Facility, 444 S. Crocker Street
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
8/2/2024
Document Description
On July 29, 2024, the Los Angeles County Chief Executive Officer (CEO) acting on behalf of the County of Los Angeles, authorized the Department of Health Services (DHS) to enter into a lease for the property at 444 S. Crocker Street and subsequently DHS will enter into an agreement with an operator to run an Enriched Residential Care (ERC) facility. The project consists of the lease of an existing 15,132-square-foot building that has been renovated as a homeless shelter. The County intends to operate the building as a 48-bed ERC facility that has the same physical layout as a shelter, but operates in importantly different ways, including 1) the facility is licensed, 2) residents may stay for an unlimited period of time, 3) residents have complex needs and require 24/7 care and supervision. (Shelters and low-barrier navigation centers are not licensed, provide short-term housing only, and their services are focused on moving people into permanent housing rather than focused on providing care and supervision.) The ERC includes user services (intake, security, exam, training, lounge, warming kitchen and dining area for residents), office facilities for visiting and permanent case managers as well as an on-site ERC manager and 24 bedrooms each with two beds. The facility would maintain 13 staff during the day, 10.5 during evenings, 5 during nighttime and 6 on weekends. Surface parking (16 spaces) would be provided at 322 S. Crocker Street about one and a half blocks to the north of the building (as at present). An ERC meets the definition of “Supportive Housing”.
Contact Information
Name
Deborah Lever
Agency Name
Housing for Health, Los Angeles County Department of Health Services
Job Title
CIIP Capital Projects Program, Project Manager
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Email
Name
Wendy Lockwood
Agency Name
Sirius Environmental
Job Title
Principal
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Name
Sarah Mahin
Agency Name
Housing for Health Los Angeles County Department of health
Job Title
Director
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Email
Location
Coordinates
Cities
Los Angeles
Counties
Los Angeles
Regions
Countywide
Cross Streets
Crocker Street and 5th Street
Zip
90013
Total Acres
0.13
Jobs
28
State Highways
US 101, I and SR 110, I-10
Railways
Union Station - rail + lht rail
Schools
Para Los Ninos ES, Metroplitan HS, Ramon Cortines HS, Central HS
Waterways
LA River
Other Location Info
444 S. Crocker Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Emergency Project
Type, Section or Code
Sec. 21080(b)(4); 15269(b)(c)
Reasons for Exemption
Homelessness in the City and County of Los Angeles experienced a large increase from 2016 to 2023. According to the 2023 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, the County of Los Angeles had at the time of the count (January 2023) approximately 75,518 people experiencing homelessness countywide (a 9% increase from the previous year), including approximately 46,260 in the City of Los Angeles (a 10% increase from the previous year). The County of Los Angeles represents approximately 25 percent of the State of California’s population, but over 40 percent of the state’s unhoused population. The City of Los Angeles represents 9.6 percent of the State of California’s population, but nearly 25 percent of the state’s unhoused population. On December 12, 2022, the City of Los Angeles declared a state of emergency on homelessness and activated the city’s Emergency Operations Center. On January 10, 2023, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to proclaim a local emergency for homelessness in the County of Los Angeles. Previously, on April 17, 2018, Mayor Eric Garcetti declared a shelter crisis to provide emergency housing for the unsheltered homeless people in the City of Los Angeles. On October 30, 2018, the LA County Board of Supervisors declared a shelter crisis to address homelessness in unincorporated LA County. This project would provide supportive housing to people in extreme need and would immediately house people who are currently on the streets or are in an interim facility (including shelters and hospitals) awaiting housing and either are in danger of becoming homeless or are taking up space that could be used by homeless people. The ERC would immediately help prevent further emergency for those served by the project and generally help in mitigating the conditions associated with the homelessness emergency and shelter crisis. Thus, the project would be eligible for the emergency project exemption.
Exempt Status
Statutory Exemption
Type, Section or Code
CEQA Section 21080.27(d)(1) and (3) – LA Exemption for Supportive Housing
Reasons for Exemption
The 444 S. Crocker Enriched Residential Care (ERC) facility would be partially funded from one of the fourteen sources identified in PRC 21080.27(a)(8) -- a necessary condition for meeting the definition of supportive housing for purposes of this exemption. (The project is anticipated to have at least partial funding from Measure H – sales tax proceeds.) Consistent with PRC 21080.27(d)(1), the project is, “[a]n action to lease, … for … a supportive housing project...” and thus exempt from CEQA. In addition, the County would provide financial assistance and therefore subsection (d)(3) also applies to exempt the project from CEQA. Since no additional construction or rehabilitation work will be needed for the project the subdivision (e) regarding prevailing wage requirements is not applicable to the project. [PRC 21080.27(e)].
County Clerk
Los Angeles
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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