By Los Angeles County Politics (LACP)
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors took a concrete step toward its ambitious jail reform agenda this week, approving construction of a permanent Warm Landing Place Facility — a transitional housing and services hub designed to catch people the moment they walk out of Men’s Central Jail with nowhere to go.
Board Chair and First District Supervisor Hilda L. Solis (D-Downtown LA, East LA, Pico-Union, Boyle Heights, El Monte, West Covina, Baldwin Park, Pomona) authored the motion that marks the first physical structure to be built under the county’s Care First, Jails Last framework — a policy vision that prioritizes diversion, treatment, and reentry support over incarceration.
“Every person leaving incarceration deserves a safe place to land and the support to rebuild their life,” said Solis. “This facility brings our Care First, Jails Last vision to life and strengthens dignity, opportunity, and safety in our communities.”
The county’s Justice, Care and Opportunities Department (JCOD) will operate the facility, which will be located directly across the street from Men’s Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles. The location is intentional — it puts housing and services at the exact point of release, eliminating the gap between the jail exit and the street.
That gap has long been identified as one of the primary drivers of recidivism and homelessness among the formerly incarcerated. County officials have noted that judges are sometimes reluctant to release individuals from custody precisely because there is nowhere stable for them to go — and that a facility like this could change that calculus by giving courts an immediate housing option.
The permanent facility will significantly expand what JCOD is already doing. The department currently operates a resource table outside the Inmate Reception Center at Men’s Central Jail and runs a 29-bed short-term transitional housing site within one mile of the downtown jail complex. A Warm Landing Place trailer is also set to launch next month, providing a more private and dignified space for case managers to connect individuals with housing and services at the point of release.
JCOD’s Warm Landing Place and its companion DOORS — Developing Opportunities and Offering Reentry Solutions — programs have together served more than 10,000 individuals since their launch.
The new permanent facility will provide structured short-term transitional housing alongside coordinated, voluntary supportive services — including pathways to long-term housing, healthcare, employment support, and other reentry essentials.
“This project is about dignity, stability, and public safety,” said Judge Songhai Armstead (Ret.), JCOD’s director. “We are excited to soon be able to close the front-door gap between release and reintegration.”
The project carries three historic distinctions for Los Angeles County. It is the first capital project aligned with the Care First, Jails Last framework. It is JCOD’s first official capital project as a standalone department. And it is the first project in county history to use a Progressive Design-Build delivery model — an approach that allows designers, builders, and county leadership to collaborate in real time, compressing the timeline to completion while incorporating trauma-informed design principles from the ground up.
The broader context is the county’s long-stated goal of eventually closing Men’s Central Jail — a notoriously overcrowded and aging facility that has drawn sustained criticism from civil rights advocates, the courts, and county officials themselves. The Warm Landing Place facility is part of a larger county vision to transform the area around the jail complex into what officials have called a “restorative care village,” featuring supportive housing and wraparound services.
For more information, visit jcod.lacounty.gov.
