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Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo Announces $5 Million in California State Budget Funds for Hope Village Project

For immediate release:
Wendy Carrillo (AD-52)

LOS ANGELES, CA – Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo (D-Los Angeles) met with California Endowment leaders to announce a $5 million state investment in the Hope Village Project, a cohesive, intersectional development, funded jointly by public and philanthropic sources and centering on alternatives to incarceration. The project proposal re-imagines the geographic area encompassing Men’s Central Jail, Los Ángeles County Care First Village, Homeboy Industries, and the California Endowment’s Center for Healthy Communities Campus to expand housing and social services for unhoused, formerly incarcerated people and the surrounding community.

“The lack of access to affordable housing is one of the greatest issues facing millions of Californians today, and it is incumbent on the state government to deliver solutions for the millions struggling to keep up with rising rent costs throughout the greater Los Angeles region” “California has done a lot of work to address criminal justice policies that have disproportionately impacted people of color, Black and brown men, specifically. Individuals who are justice-impacted and returning home, are coming back to communities they can’t afford to live in and without access to jobs, which can lead to recidivism. The Hope Village project directly addresses rising homelessness and recidivism, promoting a restorative justice approach to these issues through healing, hope, and increased employment opportunities,” said Assemblywoman Carrillo

The Hope Village Project will serve a mix of unhoused and formerly incarcerated residents. The residential component of the Project will consist of various units of approximately ~750 square feet each. The project will seek to integrate and connect the Men’s Central Jail, LA’s Care First Village, Homeboy Industries, and the California Endowment’s Center for Healthy Communities campus in order to integrate all key services and organizations in the immediate vicinity. 

“The California Endowment is grateful for the opportunity to partner with the County of Los Angeles, the State of California, community partners like Homeboy Industries, and our neighbors in Chinatown to realize the vision of creating an inclusive space of hope, healing, and wellness, where formerly incarcerated, unhoused and other members of our community are welcome to access critical services and resources.” said Robert K. Ross, President & CEO, The California Endowment. “We thank Assemblywoman Carrillo for her support for this joint public-philanthropic partnership.” 

Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo was elected as the representative of the 51st Assembly District in December of 2017. She is currently the Chair of Budget Subcommittee No. 4 on State Administration, and a member of the Assembly Committees on Appropriations, Budget, Health, Housing and Community Development, and Utilities and Energy.

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