Inside LA’s colorful new ‘mini city’ for homeless Angelenos

A village of tiny homes has sprung up on the outskirts of Los Angeles as the battle to house homeless people took a dystopian turn.

The 84 huts, which are only about 70 square foot, were opened Monday in Sun Valley, in the San Fernando Valley, with Mayor Karen Bass turning up for its grand unveiling.

The white and yellow structures, which will apparently fit more than 200 people, were assembled on a trailer park-style lot with shared bathrooms and small air conditioning units fitted.

The scheme is part of Bass’s attempts to build more than 500 tiny homes across the city to deal with the spiraling homelessness crisis.

Bass said: “Leveraging tiny homes as interim housing is a key part of our strategy to reduce the cost of Inside Safe and move away from housing homeless Angelenos in motels as we work to expedite the building of permanent housing across L.A.”

“With hundreds of tiny homes now online and hundreds more under construction, we’ll continue implementing innovative, cost-effective solutions to expand our ability to bring people in off the street.”

City officials offered little information as to the specifics of the tiny homes. At least one had the branding of the Pallet Shelter company that produces tiny homes for homeless people.

Each unit appeared to have windows, an air conditioning unit and a fire extinguisher. There also appeared to be communal bathroom units.

A rep with the nonprofit Hope the Mission told the California Post that each home is furnished, though it is unclear what they can fit into the small space. Officials told NBC LA residents will not have to pay rent.

The villages will serves as temporary housing until homeless people can secure permanent residences. People who live in tiny home villages will also receive three meals a day, residential security and case management.

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Councilmember Imelda Padilla, who represents parts of Sun Valley, was also present at the unveiling. “Today, we’re not just cutting a ribbon — we’re opening doors,” she said.

“These tiny homes represent more than shelter; they represent dignity, stability and a real first step toward permanent housing for our unhoused neighbors here in Sun Valley,” she added.

Bass’ office said the mayor is trying to “reverse decades of inaction from City Hall to rapidly accelerate the building of affordable housing across Los Angeles.”

But Bass and the City of Angels actually saw a 3.5% bump in people experiencing homelessness from last year, according to reports.

Tiny housing has been a solution the mayor’s office and Gov. Gavin Newsom has sought to fix the homeless crisis.

Newsom put aside $33 million in 2023 for a project to build about 1,200 tiny homes statewide. That included plans for 500 units in Los Angeles, 350 in Sacramento, 200 in San Jose, and 150 in San Diego.

But homelessness still remains prevalent across the state, especially in LA’s Skid Row.