LOS ANGELES, CA — Today, Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez was joined by City departments and community members at Northeast New Beginnings in Cypress Park to celebrate the beginning of a transformative expansion at the site. The interim housing facility will be expanded to provide an additional 16 modular housing units, adding to the 95 units already onsite, which will be housed on a vacant City-owned lot directly adjacent to the current facility. The expansion is set to open in summer 2026.
Councilmember Hernandez first opened Northeast New Beginnings in January 2024, celebrating a first-of-its-kind model of interim housing with comprehensive wrap-around services for people experiencing homelessness. Since its inception, Northeast New Beginnings has become a model for how transitional housing can be done right: offering not only temporary shelter but critical supportive services to help individuals stabilize and move toward permanent housing while reclaiming their dignity and autonomy. The facility has already played a pivotal role in permanently alleviating the homelessness crisis by providing 24/7 services including case management, healthcare access, harm reduction, and job placement assistance.
"Today, we are expanding a proven model to help more people move from crisis to stability,” said Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez. “Our project ensures everyone has access to healthcare, harm reduction services, mental health support, pet care, and the dignity they deserve. This is what the future of homelessness intervention must look like: affordable, sustainable, care-first, and most importantly, permanent."
In just eighteen months, Northeast New Beginnings has permanently housed 33 individuals, averaging 1.5 placements per month — a remarkable achievement given the steep barriers of limited affordable housing, complex healthcare challenges, and systemic hurdles. In addition to providing respite, the facility has delivered vital, comprehensive care, providing 64 participants with medical services, 42 to dental care, and 40 to mental health support, and connecting dozens with substance abuse treatment. The facility offers a dignified model of interim housing for Los Angeles, with each unit containing a restroom and shower, storage space, and a bedroom, along with onsite amenities such as a pet area and laundry services.
“As the lead department in the City of Los Angeles for the planning, design and construction of Tiny Home Villages, the Bureau of Engineering is extremely pleased to break ground on the 17th facility of this kind, here in a community that has welcomed opportunities for our unhoused neighbors to rebuild their lives," said Deborah Weintraub, Chief Deputy City Engineer for the Bureau of Engineering. "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. We look forward to delivering this Tiny Home Village and welcoming 64 Angelenos to their new homes.”
The onsite service provider for Northeast New Beginnings, John Wesley Health Centers (JWHC), is 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."
As a Federally Qualified Health Center with HRSA designation, JWHC provides health and dental services that are not typically available at interim housing sites in Los Angeles. Services at Northeast New Beginnings include:
- Three meals a day
- Case management
- Problem-solving counseling
- Benefits assistance support
- Employment readiness and job placement support
- Substance use counseling and harm reduction services
- Crisis intervention and conflict resolution
- Primary, behavioral, and mental healthcare
- Pet support
- Designated Little Library
Beyond Northeast New Beginnings, Councilmember Hernandez’s office has taken a multi-faceted approach to tackling homelessness permanently in the district. This includes collaborating with Mayor Bass’s administration on twelve Inside Safe operations, partnering with the County on Pathway Home projects and overdose response teams, and securing over $6 million to address encampments along the 110 Freeway and $3 million from the City's Opioid Settlement Fund to open a respite center in MacArthur Park. Councilmember Hernandez has made slowing the eviction-to-homelessness pipeline a central priority in her office, distributing $100,000 in rental assistance across the district and deploying a dedicated CD1 Tenant and Housing Deputy to protect tenants from eviction and connect them with critical housing resources. She has also championed key tenant protections, helping pass legislation that strengthened anti-harassment laws, required landlords to share eviction data, and limited the legal grounds for eviction — ensuring that residents have both security and support to stay in their homes. Additionally, Councilmember Hernandez has supported the creation of 815 units of affordable housing, with 951 more in construction and over 2,000 in the planning pipeline.
With today’s groundbreaking, Council District 1 further reaffirms its commitment to long-term solutions to end homelessness. The new facility represents a strategic expansion of the successful model, offering a dignified, secure place for individuals to call home while ensuring they have access to critical services designed to help them thrive.
Photos and b-roll of the event can be found here.