Star Apartments
| Star Apartments | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Type | Mixed use (mainly residential) |
| Address | East 6th Street, Skid Row, Los Angeles, United States |
| Coordinates | 34°02′36″N 118°14′52″W / 34.043453°N 118.247746°WCoordinates: 34°02′36″N 118°14′52″W / 34.043453°N 118.247746°W |
| Opened | October 2014 |
| Cost | US$40 million |
| Owner | Skid Row Housing Trust |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Cantilevered frame |
| Floor count | 6 |
| Floor area | 95,000 square feet (8,800 m2) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architecture firm | Michael Maltzan Architecture |
| Other information | |
| Number of units |
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| Website | |
| Star-Apartments | |
The Star Apartments are a purpose-built residential housing complex on Los Angeles' Skid Row that caters to the needs of the long-term homeless. Opened in October 2014, the Star Apartments include 102 units averaging 350 square feet, alongside amenities such as on-site medical services, counseling, fitness and art facilities and a community garden. The complex was developed by the Skid Row Housing Trust, and designed by Los Angeles based firm Michael Maltzan Architecture. The building also houses the Los Angeles County Department for Health Services' Housing for Health division.
The Star Apartments are located in the Skid Row neighborhood, known for its large homeless population. The site of the building has frontage on East 6th Street on the northeast, South San Pedro on the southeast, and San Julian Street to the northwest.
Residents of the Star Apartments have been identified as members of the "most vulnerable" population of Los Angeles County, including the chronic homeless and those with a record of frequently utilizing emergency medical services. Each resident is required to pay 30 percent of income or government assistance toward rent. Residency is non-conditional, meaning residents are not required to enroll in assistance programs offered on-site, including addiction counseling, medical assistance, or psychiatric counseling.
The building received a certificate of occupancy in 2014, and was expected to reach full occupancy by November 2014.
In addition to residential tenants, the building is home to the offices of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services' Housing for Health division headquarters, an US$18 million program with the mandate to house Los Angeles County's 'sickest and most vulnerable' and a mission to "end homelessness in Los Angeles."
The complex was designed by Michael Maltzan Architecture (MMA), a Los Angeles based firm led by architect Michael Maltzan. The developer of the site is the Skid Row Housing Trust. The Star Apartments are the third collaboration between the Skid Row Housing Trust and MMA, and follows the development of the Rainbow and New Carver Apartments projects.
Maltzan has been quoted at length regarding his interest in re-imagining housing for the homeless, including that "the community that lives [in the Star Apartments] should have a similar environment to anybody that could afford something more expensive." He has also alluded to the intent to create interaction among residents through design choices, saying that "What we're trying to create is something that feels like a microcosm of the city itself," and indicating his hope that the Star Apartments could prove a model for future, similar projects.
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