The issue of homelessness is one that has continually been rampant, growing by nearly 17% countrywide year by year. With Los Angeles' latest homeless count reaching a total of more than 60,000 with nearly 14,000 of these individuals occupying the streets and living in Downton Los Angeles, a call for action was necessary. Lehrer Architects, together with the Bureau of Engineering for the City of Los Angeles, developed an innovative community project by transforming an infill lot into tiny homes for the unhoused Angelenos using prefabricated 'pallet shelters'.
Tiny homes are an innovative, affordable, and scalable solution to this humanitarian crisis, taking a short time to build and assemble in comparison to a traditional shelter or affordable housing projects, at just a fraction of the cost. This project is one of the centerpieces of the city's emergency response to getting people into safe and healthy 'bridge' shelters on their way to permanent housing. Through these interim housing solutions, an ever-increasing number of homeless individuals have found safety and security on their journey to exiting homelessness, without the need to occupy the streets.
