LOS ANGELES \u2014 In the midst of the homelessness crisis on Skid Row, there is a new, towering sign of hope: Rosa\u2019s Place. At the corner of Fifth and San Pedro, construction of 97 new apartment units is well underway, an expansion of the Downtown Women\u2019s Center.<\/p>\n
\u201cNext fall, in 2027, 97 women and survivors of gender-based violence will move into these apartments, and it will help them heal from the trauma of experiencing homelessness,\u201d Downtown Women\u2019s Center CEO Amy Turk said.<\/p>\n
\u201cRosa\u2019s Place\u201d is named after Rosa Arzola, the woman who inspired Jill Halverson to found the Downtown Women\u2019s Center almost 50 years ago. Recently, Halverson was visiting the DWC to mark the project\u2019s halfway point.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was a woman who lived on Skid Row, and she pushed a shopping cart. I met her and identified with her because she liked to cook and I liked to cook, and she would build a fire and cook over a little fire on the sidewalk,\u201d Halverson said of Arzola.<\/p>\n
Halverson was already working on Skid Row at the time, but seeing Arzola on the streets made her realize how few resources there were for women.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought I could create a space where women could come in, be safe, get something to eat, take a shower and be on their way,\u201d Halverson said.<\/p>\n
The DWC became much more. Today, they operate 151 permanent housing units across LA for women and survivors of gender-based violence. Rosa\u2019s Place will almost double its permanent supportive housing.<\/p>\n