It takes a village. The County of Los Angeles is taking a bold new approach to reducing incarcerations: Care First, Jails Last. A recent County study showed that thousands of people in County jail facilities are being treated for mental illness, while more than 60% of them could be safely cared for in the community if adequate housing and services were created for them. So that’s why we’re building.
Welcome to the jobsite of the Restorative Care Village at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center. One of the first of its kind, the County opted to fast-track this project through a modular construction solution.
There are five buildings total on this side of the campus: four wood-framed modular Restorative Care housing buildings, and one Recuperative Care Center — a steel-framed modular facility for homeless transitional housing and care. All of the facilities are designed to help comfortably transition mental health occupants back to their communities through a dignified, neighborhood approach.
Working alongside our design-build team of SWA Architects and Silver Creek Industries, we’ve taken this project all the way from concept through design to construction, and we’re making great progress. Modular units are fabricated off-site, shipped in on semi trucks, then craned directly onto the foundations. Check out the timelapse footage to see it in action.
We have completed all module placement, and are now in the process of connections, followed by interior framing, finishes, site work, and final touches.
Due to COVID-19 safety concerns, as well as the confined nature of working in narrow modular structures, our trade partners are purposefully spread out, working concurrently on different aspects and structures. This not only reduces the functional and physical challenges of working in close quarters, but also reduces the proximity risks we face with COVID-19.
On the other side of the campus, we are building a mental health urgent care facility as well as an administrative building — both of which are steel-framed, traditionally built structures.
The campus is slated to open later this year, ushering in a new era of public mental healthcare for our communities. We’re honored to be a part of it.
