Interim housing site located in Cypress Park breaks ground for expansion

Additional interim housing units are set to open in Cypress Park by the summer of 2026. The interim housing facility, known as Northeast New Beginnings, will provide temporary shelter for those living on the streets and offer supportive services to help individuals stabilize and move toward permanent housing. 

The expansion will provide an additional 16 modular housing units with 64 beds, adding to the directly adjacent current facility next door, which opened its doors in 2024. The expansion will create more housing units, adding to the 95 units already on-site, as well as  around-the-clock services, including case management, healthcare access, harm reduction and job placement assistance.

The second phase of this interim housing facility broke ground last Thursday, where city departments includingthe L.A. City Bureau of Engineering, housing advocates, community members and other city leaders, such as councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, gathered inside the current vacant lot to celebrate and announce the beginning of the transformative expansion at the site. 

“We are standing in a vacant city lot. This was just empty for years and it was not doing anything for the community,” Hernandez told CALÓ News. “On the other side, we already have 95 beds; this building here will add to that.”  

Since the opening of the first phase of Northeast New Beginnings in January 2024, the interim housing onsite service provider has been John Wesley Health Centers (JWHC), a fully comprehensive and integrated healthcare and social services agency. 

“Seeing people move from the streets into a safe, stable environment never gets old,” said Cheryl Morris, JWHC program manager. “Every permanent placement, every family reunification, every step toward stability is a victory. I’m proud to be part of it and I'm excited to see how many more Angelenos we can help with this expansion."

The facility will only be taking in individuals and their pets. The facility will also offer a “dignified model of interim housing,” as stated by Hernandez’s office, with each unit containing a restroom, shower, storage space and a bedroom, along with on-site amenities such as a pet area and laundry services, but no kitchen. 

“Today, we are expanding a proven model to help more people move from crisis to stability,” Hernandez said. “Our project ensures everyone has access to healthcare, harm reduction services, mental health support, pet care and the dignity they deserve.”

The Bureau of Engineering, the lead department in the City of Los Angeles for the planning, design and construction of tiny home villages like Northeast New Beginnings, said this one will be the 17th facility of this kind. 

“We have been involved since the beginning of this program and have watched how these villages change lives through careful design, through collaboration with the community and through the support and caring of those who champion this work,” Deborah Weintraub, chief deputy city engineer for the Bureau of Engineering, said.

A total of 64 people will be housed here, while they also get assistance from JWHC to apply and find permanent housing. 

As a federally qualified health center, JWHC will also provide health and dental services that are not typically available at interim housing sites in Los Angeles, including three meals a day, problem-solving counseling, benefits assistance support, employment readiness and job placement support, substance use counseling and harm reduction services and even a designated library for those living in the housing complex. 

Construction is now estimated to cost around $9 million and is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2026.