*Los Angeles, CA – On Thursday, April 2nd Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and a host of other luminaries hosted the grand opening of the Avalon Project located in the Willowbrook/Rosewood district on the eastside of Los Angeles just north of Carson and west of Gardena. It was well attended by guests and residents alike who shared thoughts of pride in what has been accomplished.
What a difference a few years can make! Those of you following this story (https://eurweb.com/2013/05/anatomy-of-the-willowbrookavalon-community-project/AVALON PROJECT) may recall that many community residents (including yours truly) signed a petition in opposition to the Avalon Project by developer A Community of Friends (ACOF). At the time our community was in staunch opposition to anything that would add more weight to an already weak infra-structure. The way it was initially presented left us with more questions than answers. As one L.A. County representative expressed it: “ACOF thought it would be a slam dunk which is usually the case; but the concern here was very strong. It’s evolved into a partnership.”
While personally walking the streets with neighborhood watch group Friends and Neighbors Community Club, I was made aware of the concerns of many residents who have been stakeholders in the community for years. The underlying theme was that in this unincorporated part of Los Angeles County, no one gives a damn. Case in point: The Robertson Concrete facility on Broadway where airborne dust settles on homes, cars – the very air people have to breathe. There was much apathy.
I am pleased to say now that after much discussion and head-butting through the course of it all, a lot of the attention that nearby cities like Carson, and Gardena enjoy, is – slowly but surely – being extended to our community. And why not; there’s a 20.6 million dollar investment at stake here. The project took some 75 thousand labor hours, and 50 percent of the workers lived within a 10 mile radius of the site which boosted the local economy.
The Avalon Project is a three-story 55-unit complex where 70 percent of the heads of household have some mental illness challenges. During his speech Ridley-Thomas said “This is a time to celebrate…this is an important step in which we need to go in order to end homelessness in this county…we’re on a mission.” He aroused the spirit of the audience in chanting “Permanent supportive housing works!”
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