Linc Housing has opened an affordable and supportive housing development, with 60 homes for people who were chronically homeless and 66 units for people who were at risk of losing their housing.
Located in Los Angeles, Atlas is the nonprofit organization’s first completed community under Project Homekey, a California initiative to transform underused properties into long-term affordable and supportive housing.
Before its renovation, Atlas was an uninhabited, recently constructed market-rate apartment building.
“Atlas embodies the power of collaboration,” said Linc Housing CEO Rebecca Clark. “Thanks to Gov. Newsom’s Project Homekey initiative, and the commitment of the state, city, and county, we’re able to bring more of the housing and services that people urgently need. At Linc, we know that solving homelessness requires both providing homes for people already on the streets and preventing others from losing their housing. Atlas does both.”
The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) worked with the city and state to purchase the building with Homekey funding and provided project-based Section 8 vouchers that ensure rent stability for residents.
“Without rental support, too many Angelenos risk falling into homelessness simply because market rents are out of reach,” said HACLA president and CEO Lourdes Castro Ramírez. “HACLA is proud to be part of this partnership—not only to make sure our most vulnerable neighbors are housed, but also to ensure their security to remain housed long term.”
Atlas is about a $60.5 million development, with the majority of financing for the initial acquisition provided by Project Homekey from the California Department of Housing and Community Development and administered by the Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD). LAHD also contributed HOME/American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds, Proposition HHH funds, and funding from the Community Development Block Grant program. Additional HOME, ARP, and LAHD reserve funding supported construction.
Major funders:
| Los Angeles Housing Department Reserve Funds | $567,859 |
| HOME/American Rescue Plan | $10.5 million |
| Community Development Block Grant | $8.9 million |
| Prop HHH, city of Los Angeles | $5.4 million |
| Project Homekey | $35.1 million |
Many new residents came to Atlas through the Los Angeles County Coordinated Entry System and the county’s Department of Health Services’ Housing for Health program, which provides the funding for wraparound services for residents who were homeless. Housing for Health also operates an innovative Homeless Prevention Unit that uses predictive analytics to identify and assist people who are likely to fall into homelessness. About 35 residents were referred to Atlas through this effort.
The development is named after the Atlas butterfly—a symbol of transformation and rebirth.
For Roderick, a new resident, Atlas has been life-changing. After decades of homelessness and challenges with substance use, he is now stably housed and committed to his health. He also helps care for his mother who is living with dementia at a nearby care facility, according to officials.
“This new home has changed my life tremendously,” Roderick said in a statement. “I’m stable now, and I get to see my mom every day. I finally feel like I can build a future.”
Renovations on Atlas began in May 2024 with designs by Y&M Architects and construction by T. Morrissey Corp. The building is fully occupied, with all homes for households at or below 30% of the area median income.