After years of anticipation, plans for new affordable housing adjacent to the Downtown Women’s Center headquarters in Los Angeles are moving forward. The Los Angeles City Council approved in late November the sale of city-owned land at 501 E. 5th Street and authorized bond financing for the project, paving the way for the construction of Rosa’s Place, a seven-story supportive housing development.
The $83.5 million development will include 97 units of permanent supportive housing and one market-rate manager’s apartment. Designed by KFA Architecture, the building will feature studio apartments averaging 296 square feet, reserved for women earning 30–50 percent of the area’s median income. Rosa’s Place will primarily serve women experiencing homelessness and survivors of domestic violence, according to a report in Urbanize.
Amenities will include community rooms, a mother’s wellness area, a donation center, a courtyard, a learning center, and offices for on-site supportive services and property management.
The rendering of 501 E. 5th Street reveals a sleek, modern seven-story building designed with simplicity and functionality in mind. The facade features a clean white palette with large, evenly spaced windows and recessed sections that integrate greenery, adding depth and a touch of nature. At street level, glass panels hint at communal spaces like offices or gathering areas, while landscaping with shrubs and trees creates an inviting, pedestrian-friendly environment.
The building’s boxy geometry and flat roofline reflect a minimalist, urban aesthetic, fitting into its Skid Row surroundings. Touches like integrated planter boxes and open sidewalks emphasize sustainability and community integration, making it a welcoming and functional design for supportive housing.
The project’s costs—approximately $852,000 per unit—are attributed to rising interest rates, expensive entitlements, and construction challenges in Skid Row’s dense urban environment. A significant portion of the budget, over $11 million, will fund a 54-stall underground parking garage.
Rosa’s Place represents a continued collaboration between the Downtown Women’s Center and Daylight Community Development, which previously worked on supportive housing projects in Van Nuys and North Hollywood, the report added. Daylight Community Development and GTM Holdings are co-developers on this project.
Located just a block from Skid Row’s 6th and San Pedro Streets, Rosa’s Place is part of a growing effort to address the region’s housing crisis. The development joins other large supportive housing projects near the Weingart Center, demonstrating a sustained commitment to combatting homelessness in Downtown Los Angeles.
