AHF to Dedicate 74-room Van Nuys Hotel for Homeless Housing

Van Nuys Ribbon-cutting Friday, January 24^th - 1:00 P.M., Valley Haven Hotel

AHF’s Healthy Housing Foundation will also host 2 other open houses and media availabilities that Friday at two additional existing older hotels it purchased in Cypress Park and Hollywood to repurpose as housing for the homeless

2 additional AHF Open Houses at Hotels/Motels in Cypress Park and Hollywood, Friday, January 24

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On Friday, January 24^th, housing advocates and officials from AHF will host a ribbon-cutting and dedication for the Valley Haven Hotel, a 74-bed hotel on Sepulveda Boulevard in Van Nuys that AHF’s Healthy Housing Foundation recently purchased to repurpose as homeless and/or extremely-low-income housing. The ribbon-cutting will take place at 1:00 P.M.

In addition, AHF will also host two (2) sequential MEDIA AVAILABILITIES and OPEN HOUSES later that Friday afternoon at the other two hotels around greater Los Angeles — in Cypress Park (2:30 pm-Cypress Arms Hotel) and Hollywood (4 pm-Re Tan Hotel) — that AHF recently added to its portfolio of properties and is now refurbishing and repurposing the three buildings for use as housing for the homeless and extremely-low-income individuals under its Healthy Housing Foundation banner.

WHAT:	Van Nuys ‘Valley Haven Hotel’ Ribbon-cutting & Dedication
	AHF’s Valley Haven Hotel (Van Nuys) repurposed as homeless housing.
	Healthy Housing Foundation also ADDS 2 other hotels, 167 total new housing units to its homeless and extremely-low-income housing stock in greater L.A.
WHEN:	Friday, January 24, 2020 1:00 P.M.
WHERE:
	VAN NUYS RIBBON-CUTTING & HOTEL OPEN HOUSE:
	Valley Haven Hotel (Van Nuys)
	6909 Sepulveda Blvd., Van Nuys, CA 91405
WHO:
	Michael Weinstein, President, AHF
	Ms. Nicole Johnson-Farley, JWCH Wesley Health Care Center, ED Hospital Homeless Coordinator
	Christopher M. Botten, Director of Operations, L.A. CADA (Center for Alcohol & Drug Abuse)
	Winter Speyer, National Housing Director of the Healthy Housing Foundation
	René Christian Moya, Director, Housing Is A Human Right and Campaign Director, Rental Affordability Act (RAA) ballot measure
AHF Board Members in Attendance (NOTE: not all will speak):
	Angelina Wapakabulo, Government of Uganda High Commissioner to Kenya
	Ambassador Stephen Karau, M.D., permanent representative of Kenya to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, Switzerland.
	Scott Galvin, Vice President of Education for Junior Achievement of Greater Miami and former City Council Member, North Miami, FL, City Council
	Lawrence Peters, Marketing, Sales, Media and Nonprofit Consultant/advisor and Owner of Bewoven Studios, weaver of fine textiles
	Cory Lyons, AHF and Impulse United Board Member; General Manager, Versace
AHF will also host 2 ADDITIONAL OPEN HOUSES/MEDIA AVAILABILITIES
	CYPRESS PARK:
	2:30 P.M. to 3:30 P.M.
	Cypress Arms Hotel (30 rooms) 2612 Idell St, Los Angeles, CA 90065
	HOLLYWOOD:
	4:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M.
	Re-Tan Hotel, (61 rooms plus duplex), 1730-1732 Whitley Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028
CONTACT:	Ged Kenslea, AHF Communications +1.323.791.5526 cell [e-mail]

The three latest hotels — in Van Nuys (74 rooms), Cypress Park (30 rooms) and Hollywood (61 rooms plus a duplex) — add 167 additional housing units to AHF’s roster of hotels and rooms that have been repurposed as homeless and extremely-low-income housing and bring the total of housing units AHF repurposed and created to over 790 units across eight hotels or motels throughout greater Los Angeles.

AHF launched Healthy Housing Foundation to address the rampant affordable housing crisis sweeping the nation by providing fast, easy, and compassionate access to affordable housing with a focus on addressing the needs of low-income individuals, struggling families, youth, and those living with chronic illness.

Healthy Housing Foundation by AHF focuses on the quicker, much less expensive model of adaptive reuse of existing buildings as it repurposes them as housing for those previously unsheltered, homeless and/or for extremely-low-income individuals. It previously renovated and repurposed five historic Los Angeles buildings, and with these latest three buildings, AHF has now created a combined total of 791 units in its effort to more quickly house individuals and families. In Fort Lauderdale, HHF is also well underway with plans for a newly built, state-of-the-art affordable housing complex that will include over 500 micro-units.

The Los Angeles area open houses will showcase the Foundation’s latest three additions to its roster of innovative housing solutions to more quickly address the region’s homelessness crisis.

“We’re deploying multiple approaches to address the housing and homelessness crises — new construction, micro-units, renovation of existing structures — we’re looking at all possibilities,” said Michael Weinstein, President of AHF. “The bottom line is we need viable solutions that are economical and fast. Communities can’t wait any longer; the situation is far too dire.”

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over 1.3 million individuals in 43 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us @aidshealthcare.