A new $28 million apartment complex opened in the heart of Skid Row in Los Angeles Thursday, with all 108 units designated for the infamous neighborhood’s homeless population.
The “Gateway Apartments” include an open-air atrium, solar panels and an air-filtered smoking lounge, The Los Angeles Times reports. The building’s sleek, modern façade contrasts with more humdrum design of the homeless shelters that surround it.
“We’re taking people really right off the street,” said the CEO of SRO Housing Corp., which developed the complex. Building on the “housing first” recovery model that has seen success in helping get the homeless on their feet in recent years, residents will pay 30 percent of their income and do not have to be drug- and alcohol-free or mentally stable to qualify for the housing.