A 25-unit supportive housing development named Watts Works has been unwrapped on a corner lot at 9502 S. Compton Avenue.
The four-story building replaces a vacant single-family home with 24 studio apartments reserved for formerly homeless individuals as well as a one-bedroom unit for the on-site manager.
Designed by Studio One Eleven, Watts Works is a contemporary low-rise structure featuring a community room with an outdoor patio that overlooks the street, a tranquility garden, a backyard, a rooftop terrace, bicycle parking and laundry room.
Aside from the physical housing provided to residents, ‘wrap-around’ services will be provided by non-profit partner, The People Concern, including on-site counseling, community-based healthcare, treatment, and employment training.
In an effort to lower construction costs, developer Decro Corporation and Daylight Community Development Corporation used prefabricated modular units constructed from fifty-eight shipping containers. According to Studio One Eleven’s Michael John, the total cost per unit was just under $400,000 – a roughly 20% savings versus traditional construction.
Watts Works received project funding from a variety of local and private sources, including Los Angeles County, the City of Los Angeles, Arixa Capital, and Genesis LA, as well as investment from the United Way of Greater Los Angeles.
