AIDS Healthcare Foundation buys third Skid Row building for homeless housing

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation announced today it has purchased the Baltimore Hotel at Fifth and Los Angeles streets. As AHF has done on a handful of other properties, the organization plans to transform the turn-of-the-century hotel into housing for homeless people and low-income tenants.

The 204-room Baltimore, which currently operates as single-room occupancy hotel, has 76 existing tenants who will remain in their homes, said a release from AHF.

The organization paid $20 million for the hotel. AHF says the Baltimore will require “modest improvements and repairs,” including painting the walls, updating the floors, and making plumbing improvements

The low price point for these types of hotel conversions demonstrates that the city should be focusing on adaptive reuse, said Michael Weinstein, the CEO of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.

“We have estimates of as many as 5,000 empty SRO hotel rooms in Los Angeles,” Weinstein said in a statement. “We challenge Los Angeles officials to fully consider the SRO model we are deploying and adopt it as another means to address LA’s homeless crisis in a more timely, efficient and compassionate manner.”

Last month, the city announced that rising construction costs meant that all 10,000 supportive housing units promised by the HHH ballot measure may not be delivered.

The Baltimore is the latest in a string of properties which AHF has purchased and rehabbed since October 2017 for the purpose of turning them into affordable housing.

Other AHF properties include a former motel on Sunset Boulevard, the 202-room Madison Hotel on Seventh Street near San Julian, and the King Edward, a 150-room hotel on Fifth and Los Angeles streets—just across the intersection from the Baltimore.

Additionally, AHF is suing the city over its plans to demolish LA’s former police headquarters Parker Center, which the organization wants to be reused as supportive housing.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation buys Hollywood motel, will create low-income housing [Curbed LA]