Project Homekey housing project for homeless breaks ground in Van Nuys
Los Angeles housing advocates and homeless services providers on Monday, Aug. 5, celebrated the groundbreaking of a Project Homekey project that will turn an old motel on Sepulveda Boulevard into permanent supportive housing for the homeless in the San Fernando Valley.
The Pano, a $60 million project in Van Nuys, is estimated to cost $660,000 per apartment unit. Its completion is expected in spring 2026 and it will offer onsite access to mental and physical health services, case management and life skills training for its residents.
The project will convert the old Panorama motel on Sepulveda Boulevard south of Roscoe Boulevard, and construct a second building, resulting in 90 studio apartments for homeless people. Each apartment will include a kitchenette and bathroom, plus a bed, dresser, dining table and dining chairs.
There also will be a two-bedroom manager’s unit, multiple community rooms, a barbecue area with patio seating, a dog run, a tool room where tenants can learn job skills, and case management offices.
To promote sustainability, the project is designed to California’s LEED-Gold standards and will feature high-efficiency in-unit appliances, low-flow water fixtures, electric water heaters, solar panels, electric vehicle charging stations and drought tolerant landscaping.
Stephanie Klasky-Gamer, president and CEO of LA Family Housing, a homeless services provider whose affiliate LAFH Builds is the developer of this project, said the project is unique in three ways – how the site was acquired, how the project was designed and how funding was secured.
“What this project means to us is the role of innovation and collaboration – that having philanthropy work in partnership with the city of L.A. allowed us to do something that we hadn’t done before. It represented acting in urgency,” she said.
According to Klasky-Gamer, the city of L.A. purchased the property with money from the state’s Project Homekey program that aims to turn old hotels, motels or other buildings into permanent housing for the homeless. Developers like LA Family Housing have then stepped in, applying to the city to take ownership of the building or buildings, including converting them into permanent housing.
LA Family Housing wanted this property because the large lot meant it could add a second building onsite to create more housing units.
And rather than rely on traditional funding sources that would take longer to secure, LA Family Housing secured private donations from philanthropic organizations that allowed it to save time and money in moving ahead with the project, Klasky-Gamer said.
The project’s total cost is estimated to be $60 million, with $10 million coming from Project Homekey.
The remaining balance is covered by other state or federal funding, $9 million from the city of Los Angeles, $10 million in donations from philanthropic organizations and a $4 million bank loan.