Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission opens West Valley's first cabin community to help homeless

RESEDA, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- It's the beginning of a new chapter for several dozen unhoused Angelenos.

Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission, a faith-based, non-profit organization is opening the West Valley's first cabin community in Reseda.

"We all know permanent housing is the ultimate solution, but we cannot have the streets as the waiting room for permanent housing," Hope Valley Rescue Mission President and CEO Ken Craft said.

On June 1, residents will move in.

Sycamore Cabin Community is home to more than 50 cabins, which come with in-unit air conditioning and heat.

The formerly homeless residents who live there will share laundry services and restrooms.

The community will operate with 24/7 security, as well as drug and mental health counseling. Pets are also welcome.

If residents stay the course, they are typically moved into permanent housing within four to six months.

"It's needed all over the city, and it's certainly needed in my district. You can walk within three blocks of here and run into numerous homeless people," said Councilmember Bob Blumenfield.

Not everyone in the area is thrilled to welcome the newest community.

Some neighbors are apprehensive about the development and worry about its safety, but believe it is better than the homeless living on the sidewalks and in alleyways.

"We've been dealing with it now in a very intense way for about a year, and we're just ready for a solution, even if its a temporary solution," said Tarzana resident Susana Gomez.

To live in the cabin community, residents must be unhoused within a 3-mile radius.

Drugs and alcohol are not allowed, and organizers say residents must want to better themselves.

"It's incredible to see the life transformation for people that are able to come inside get a hot shower, three meals a day, and have access to all the social services they need to transform their lives," Craft said.

The popularity of these communities is growing.

This past February, Hope of the Valley opened L.A.'s first-ever tiny homes community in North Hollywood.

Another community opened last month in Alexandria Park. Each home costs about $8,500 to build.

The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, or LAHSA, manages the funding. Residents live there for free.