The Boyle Heights Tiny Home Village, tucked away in the 800 block of North Mission Road, is the latest of many efforts on the Eastside that aim to address the pressing issue of homelessness in Council District 14.
The project, funded using around $4.8 million of the district’s discretionary funds, brings 72 64-square-foot units to the neighborhood and provides access to restrooms, laundry machines, and support services provided by the nonprofit Volunteers of America.
“This is the most cost-effective way to deal with the housing crisis for our unhoused neighbors in the City of Los Angeles,” said CD 14 Councilmember Kevin De León during the project’s unveiling ceremony in February.
The land for the village was already city-owned and utilized by the Department of Public Works as a mulch yard, according to De León. As of mid-March, the village was nearing full capacity. The project is notable for being home to over two dozen unhoused mariachis who work in Boyle Heights’ Mariachi Plaza.
With the project’s completion, CD 14 has the most tiny home villages in the city, with three; the other two are located in Highland Park and Eagle Rock, respectively.
“There’s a lot of people that talk about housing being a human right, that we can’t let there be people on the streets. We’ve got to act with urgency. All of that talk is nice, but those words don’t get people housed; those words don’t build housing,” said Pete Brown, Communications Director for De León.
“The only thing that does is action, and that’s why Councilmember Kevin de León stands apart because he’s been able to actively get folks housed.”
In addition to the three tiny home villages, the district has seen three other projects completed during De León’s tenure.
Two buildings were purchased in El Sereno to house the homeless encampments that once lined Huntington Drive North. Bailey Street Residence, a housing community for women and children on the Eastside, opened last year in Boyle Heights.
