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Unhoused people being moved to luxury hotel in Downtown LA amid cleanup in Little Tokyo

By KJ Hiramoto
Published  March 18, 2022 6:48pm PDT
Downtown LA
FOX 11

Unhoused moved from Little Tokyo homeless encampment to stay at luxury hotel

Those displaced by the City of Los Angeles from staying at the homeless encampment in Little Tokyo will be given a chance to stay at a 5-star hotel as a temporary solution.

LOS ANGELES - A large homeless encampment in Little Tokyo is now cleared out.

As crews clean up and fenced off Toriumi Plaza, formerly a homeless encampment, what happens to those who were displaced from the area?

According to Los Angeles City Councilmember Kevin de León, who represents District 14, some of the unhoused are given temporary shelter at the L.A. Grand Hotel Downtown on South Figueroa Street. The 4-star hotel, which closed to the public in late 2020, is being used to temporarily accommodate the unhoused as part of Project Roomkey.

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FOX 11's Phil Shuman got a tour from de León of one of the rooms. 

"Fire and foremost, we have to move folks with a sense of urgency," de León said. "Off the streets. And then there, we have them an interim housing and then we have to find the permanent housing."

The clearance of Toriumi Plaza displaced about 100 people who were staying at the encampment. The L.A. Grand Hotel Downtown is being used to house more than a dozen unhoused people, as of Friday.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Los Angeles city crews removing homeless encampment in Little Tokyo

Tom Beedon, the hotel's general manager, shared his enthusiasm to help those who are unhoused.

"Absolutely," Beedom told FOX 11. "We're happy to do that. We're happy to be helping the community, which we're such a big part of."

While it's not a permanent solution – a room at the L.A. Grand Hotel used to cost up to $400 for guests prior to closing. 

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