AHF Blasts DWP, Mayor Garcetti for Service Delays at its Madison Hotel on Skid Row

Press Teleconference: FRIDAY, March 6^th 10:00 am PT

After spending over $150,000 on elevator repairs, city permitting and wiring upgrades, AHF’s Healthy Housing Foundation has been unable to get L.A.’s Department of Water and Power to finish upgrading and reconnecting power for the elevator at its Madison Hotel—for over 9 months—despite a personal commitment of ‘concierge service from city departments’ by Mayor Eric Garcetti made months ago.

Nonprofit group has been purchasing, refurbishing and repurposing older single room occupancy (SRO) hotels for use as homeless and extremely-low-income housing to help address the humanitarian crisis of homelessness in Los Angeles. The Madison, a 1924-era SRO hotel was the first property purchased.

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) and its Healthy Housing Foundation (HHF) will host a PRESS TELECONFERENCE tomorrow, Friday, March 6^th at 10:00 am PT to criticize the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) and Mayor Eric Garcetti for months-long delays in upgrading and restoring DWP service to power the elevator at the Madison Hotel, a 208-room single room occupancy (SRO), 1924 era hotel in Downtown Los Angeles that AHF purchased, refurbished and repurposed for use as homeless and extremely-low-income housing to help address the humanitarian crisis of homelessness in Los Angeles.

After spending over $150,000 on elevator repairs, city permitting and wiring upgrades, AHF and its Healthy Housing Foundation have been unable to get the DWP to finish upgrading and reconnecting power for the elevator at the Madison Hotel—a delay that has dragged on for at least nine months—despite a personal commitment of ‘concierge service from city departments’ made by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to AHF President Michael Weinstein months ago.

WHAT:	PRESS TELECONFERENCE: AHF Blasts City, Mayor Garcetti for DWP service delays; will also address Madison Hotel tenants’ complaints
WHEN:	FRIDAY, March 6^th 2020—10:00 am PT
Teleconference Dial in information: +1.877.411.9748 participant code #7134323
MEDIA CONTACT:	Ged Kenslea, AHF Dir. of Communications [phone] cell

The elevator has been out of commission in the 208 room, five-story hotel for at least the last nine months. During that time period, HHF offered every Madison resident affected the chance to move to the first floor of the Madison, where rooms rent for an average of about $400 per month or move to a comparable room at the nearby Baltimore Hotel (501 S. Los Angeles, 90013). To date, only one or two tenants had taken up the offer of room change.

Healthy Housing Foundation In late 2017, AHF launched the Healthy Housing Foundation (HHF) to provide housing units at an affordable cost to extremely-low-income people, including families with children, and those previously unsheltered or homeless. To date it has created 791 such housing units in eight buildings (SRO hotels and motels) across greater Los Angeles and offers priority placement to individuals with chronic health conditions, including HIV/AIDS. It has also expanded the scope of its services across the country and is underway with plans for newly constructed affordable housing developments in Los Angeles and Ft Lauderdale, FL. Please visit our website: www.healthyhousingfoundation.net

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over 1.3 million individuals in 45 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.