NORWALK — Local elected leaders are celebrating the passage of a bill in the state Legislature paving the way to repurpose several buildings at Metropolitan State Hospital into a “mental health community campus” that would serve adults and young folks with treatment and housing services.
SB 1336 is on its way to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk, where officials hope he will sign it by the end of September.
If he does, the bill — which passed on a bi-partisan 39-0 vote in the state Senate on Aug. 28 — will be a significant step forward in regional efforts to deal with homelessness and mental health issues, leaders said.
“This is a significant first step to allow state property in L.A. County to be redeveloped and repurposed to address two of the most pressing issues we face – mental illness and homelessness,” said state Sen. Bob Archuleta, D-Pico Rivera.
“As we seek the governor’s signature, it is clear that collaboration between the state, local governments and community stakeholders remain vital if we are to succeed in addressing our homeless and mental health crisis,” said Archuleta, who introduced the bill in February.
The Norwalk-based hospital is a state-run, 826-bed medical hub that specializes in psychiatric care. The 162-acre open campus property, complete with a security perimeter, is operated by the Department of State Hospitals.
It admits patients in four different categories: incompetent to stand trial, offender with mental health disorder, not guilty by reason of insanity and conservatorship.
The bill would authorize the director of the Department of General Services to lease seven unused buildings at the site to a nonprofit or local government with the goal of providing housing and/or treatment to people with behavioral health needs, according to Archuleta’s office.
L.A. County wants to renovate the buildings to develop a new mental health campus within the site. They call the proposed site a Los Angeles County Care Community.
In June, the state and county took a step forward after entering a lease deal. But the county needs the bill signed into law to make it all happen.
“We are battling a mental health crisis and we desperately need places where we can treat and house people who are struggling,” Hahn said. “With just a small corner of this State property we can provide care and support for hundreds of people at a time. The need is overwhelming and we have no time to waste. I urge the Governor to sign the bill as soon as it gets to his desk, and I look forward to working with our State partners to get these mental health facilities up and running.”
The effort aligns with a broader county effort to develop hubs in the region for mental health and transitional housing needs among folks most impacted amid a homeless crisis that intersects with a mental health crisis.
Back in November, for instance, the city of Pasadena took formal ownership of a long-vacant former Kaiser Permanente property, with a goal of using it as a one-stop hub for affordable housing and mental health services in the region.
The 2.28-acre site, at the southeast corner of Lake Avenue and Villa Street, had sat empty for 10 years before Los Angeles County and city officials joined back in April in an ambitious plan to reimagine it. That plan includes up to 100 housing units and a goal to expand homeless, mental health and community services in an area officials say is “high priority” for such services.
A record number of people moved off the streets and into shelter last year, according to data released by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), offering a glint of hope in the enduringly grim fight against homelessness.
The 2024 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, which was conducted over a three-day window in January, found practically no change in the county’s homeless population compared to last year. But, the number of unsheltered people — people living in tents, vehicles, and makeshift shelters — dropped by 5.1%, while people living in shelters rose by 12.7%.
LAHSA recorded 75,312 homeless people in the 2024 count. This is almost the same as the 75,518 people recorded in 2023 and welcome news after homelessness jumped by 9.1% between the 2022 and 2023 counts.
But officials say major challenges remain, including stemming the tide of people falling into homelessness and finding permanent housing placements for those living in shelters.
The cost of rent in L.A. County continues to fuel the problem with average two-bedroom rents hovering in the realm of $2,500. Local wages have also failed to keep pace, experts say.
The effort comes as a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision has opened the door to local cities having authority to sweep away public homeless encampments and move folks into shelters.
At the same time, studies show upticks in mental illness among the population.
LAHSA reported in 2020 that about 25% of all homeless adults in Los Angeles County suffer from severe mental illnesses such as a psychotic disorders and schizophrenia. A 2022 study by the RAND Institute found that 54% of unhoused Angelenos reported having a mental health condition.
And, when a broad view of mental health is taken into consideration – including depression, stress and anxiety – some experts argue that it impacts all homeless people.
County officials envision the bill as part of an approach that identifies government property that can be converted into housing, while also providing essential services to folks in need.
County and state officials identified seven buildings at Metropolitan that could serve those needs. The county would use various grant funding programs and state funding to run the site.
“Using state-owned underutilized land to house people with mental health needs is a win-win situation for both the individual and the communities in which they reside by getting them the support they need and off the street,” said Archuleta.
Staff Writers Clara Harter and Steve Scauzillo contributed to this report.
