$106M ‘mental health village’ in Norwalk breaks ground: What to know

The Brief

• Los Angeles County and state leaders broke ground on the LA County Care Community, a $106 million mental health and housing village in Norwalk.

• The project repurposes six vacant historic buildings on the Metropolitan State Hospital campus to provide 162 beds across three distinct levels of care.

• Funding is primarily driven by $65 million from Proposition 1, marking it as the most significant project to break ground under the 2024 ballot measure.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. – Los Angeles County officials and state leaders on Friday broke ground on a transformative mental health village in Norwalk, which will repurpose long-dormant structures on the Metropolitan State Hospital campus to address the region’s urgent needs for individuals struggling with serious mental illness and homelessness.

What we know

The LA County Care Community will utilize 13 acres of state land to house six renovated buildings centered around a shared courtyard. The long-dormant buildings date back to the 1920s.

The facility is designed to be a “holistic healthcare village” that will offer a “continuum of care” featuring 162 total beds.

This includes 32 beds in locked rehabilitation centers for young adults, 70 interim housing beds for those requiring short-term stability, and 60 permanent supportive housing apartments.

The project is fueled by $65 million in state Proposition 1 funding—a 2024 ballot measure specifically designed to finance behavioral health treatment and infrastructure.