indieDwell building four permanent supportive housing complexes in Los Angeles

Rendering provided by Studio One Eleven

BOISE, ID

indieDwell, a Boise based manufacturer of modular affordable housing will begin construction of “Watts Works,” the first of four, twenty-five unit supportive housing complexes planned for Los Angeles, CA. The Watts Works Project represents a venture between indieDwell, architect Studio One Eleven, developers Decro Corporation, and Daylight Community Development, general contractor Howard CDM, with The People Concern providing wrap around services. The City of Los Angeles awarded the team $23.8 million as part of Mayor Eric Garcetti’s HHH Housing Innovation Challenge. In 2016, voters approved Measure HHH, a $1.2 billion bond initiative dedicated to affordable housing.

“Chronic homelessness adversely affects the mental and physical well-being of individuals and lessens the vitality of communities nationwide.  Los Angeles, with the country’s largest homeless population, faces the greatest challenges to providing these individuals with safe, healthy housing. All of us at indieDwell are grateful to be part of a solution,” said Pete Gombert, indieDwell’s Executive Chairman. Supportive housing combines housing for chronically homeless individuals with onsite wrap-around services such as counseling, community-based health care, and employment training. 

“It’s been a pleasure working with Pete, Scott and the IndieDwell family on this project. Not only do they share in our mission to alleviate our affordable housing and homelessness crises, but they are also bringing true innovation to the affordable housing community. Their modular solution can be applied across the industry, and we look forward to collaborating on many projects long into the future,” said Daylight Managing Partner Greg Comanor.

Modular construction builds volumetric units in a controlled factory environment, that are then shipped to the site and installed. The process saves time in part because construction occurs while site work proceeds. This allows developers to get people housed more quickly. Because the modules are designed and constructed off site fewer change orders occur, reducing costs and adding to budget certainty.

“Shortening construction lead times and materially reducing project costs,” Ted M. Handel, Decro’s CEO, said, “is key to successfully resolving the homeless crisis both in Los Angeles and statewide. Modular construction offers affordable housing developers like Decro and Daylight the best opportunity to immediately achieve both of these goals.”

When the Watts housing opens in February 2021, residents will have access to a “tranquility garden,” community room, bike storage, barbecue area with community space throughout and a rooftop patio shaded by an existing 70 year old Avocado tree. 

About indieDwell

indieDwell, a certified B Corporation, manufacturers healthy, durable, energy efficient and sustainable modular housing to help solve the affordable housing crisis, while improving the health of the environment and empowering communities.