South Los Angeles took another step toward addressing its homelessness and behavioral-health crisis this December as the Testimonial Community Love Center celebrated a groundbreaking for a 40-bed modular interim housing expansion designed specifically for people facing homelessness and serious mental-health challenges.
Background & mission
Founded to provide culturally responsive services to underserved residents of South Los Angeles, the Testimonial Community Love Center combines direct care, outreach, and community programming. The center’s mission centers on dignity, trauma-informed care, and rapid re-housing pathways for people experiencing homelessness. Over time the organization has become a local hub for supportive services and a partner for county behavioral-health initiatives.
The December 2025 expansion
The newly announced expansion will add 40 modular, non-congregate interim housing units sited adjacent to the center. According to project partners, the units are intended for people who require a combination of temporary shelter and consistent access to behavioral-health supports. The modular approach allows for faster on-site deployment than traditional construction and supports an environment designed around privacy and safety.
Construction and project partners include Hollywood Handy Construction, DNA Architecture, Mandeville Modular, and Optimal Construction. Funding for the project is at least partly provided through California’s Behavioral Health Bridge Housing program, which allocates resources to rapidly create housing for individuals with behavioral-health needs.
Services & operations
The site will pair housing with on-site case management, mental-health care coordination, and connection to longer-term housing solutions. The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health is a key partner in coordinating behavioral-health services and ensuring residents are linked to appropriate treatment, while nonprofit partners such as Brilliant Corners are expected to support operations and placement into housing pathways.
Community impact and value
Supporters say the expansion offers several benefits: it provides immediate shelter and a lower-barrier entry point for people who may not succeed in traditional congregate shelters; it reduces time people spend unsheltered; and it brings integrated behavioral-health services to a community with high unmet need. The trauma-informed design and smaller, non-congregate units are intended to improve engagement and recovery outcomes.
Challenges & considerations
Like many rapid housing efforts, the project will need sustainable operations funding, staff capacity for behavioral-health care, and strong community outreach to address local concerns. Long-term success depends on clear pathways to permanent housing, ongoing mental-health and substance-use services, and coordination with county systems of care.
The Testimonial Community Love Center’s modular interim housing expansion is an example of how local nonprofits, county agencies, and construction partners can combine fast-build techniques and targeted funding to meet the needs of people experiencing homelessness with behavioral-health conditions. If the pilot model proves effective, it could be a replicable approach for other high-need communities across Los Angeles County.
The state is also advancing its broader housing strategy, announcing on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, that six new affordable housing developments are moving forward on underutilized state-owned land. Together, these projects will deliver at least 843 new homes, reinforcing California’s effort to expand affordable housing supply while putting idle public land to productive use.
Factsheet – Testimonial Community Love Center Expansion
Location: South Los Angeles
Milestone: Groundbreaking – December 3, 2025
New 40-bed modular interim housing project.
Built to serve people experiencing homelessness with behavioral-health needs.
Designed as trauma-informed, non-congregate housing (private rooms, not dorm-style).
Purpose
Provide safe, temporary housing for individuals who need stabilization and mental-health support.
Connect residents to case management, treatment, and long-term housing pathways.
Key Partners
Hollywood Handy Construction – construction lead.
Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health – behavioral-health services.
Brilliant Corners – supportive services partner.
Mandeville Modular – modular unit provider.
DNA Architecture / Optimal Construction – design + engineering support.
Funding
Supported partly by California’s Behavioral Health Bridge Housing Program.
Features
40 individual modular units.
Privacy-focused, trauma-informed layout.
On-site space for services and engagement.
Expected completion: 2026.
Community Impact
Adds urgently needed low-barrier housing in South LA.
Helps reduce unsheltered homelessness.
Brings housing + behavioral-health support together in one place.
