The City of Carson hosts a special meeting and march outside of the new Homekey interim housing site in Carson on Thursday, May 21, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
The new Homekey interim housing site in Carson on Thursday, May 21, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
The City of Carson hosts a special meeting and march outside of the new Homekey interim housing site in Carson on Thursday, May 21, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Carson Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes and city council members host a special meeting and march outside of the new Homekey interim housing site in Carson on Thursday, May 21, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
The City of Carson hosts a special meeting and march outside of the new Homekey interim housing site in Carson on Thursday, May 21, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Carson Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes and city council members host a special meeting and march outside of the new Homekey interim housing site in Carson on Thursday, May 21, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Carson Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes and city council members host a special meeting and march outside of the new Homekey interim housing site in Carson on Thursday, May 21, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Longtime Carson resident and business owner Dr. Ta-Taneisha Thames speaks during a special meeting outside of the new Homekey interim housing site in Carson on Thursday, May 21, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
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The City of Carson hosts a special meeting and march outside of the new Homekey interim housing site in Carson on Thursday, May 21, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
A new apartment building set to permanently house a little over 100 homeless people will open in Carson within the next couple of months. And, even though this is a Los Angeles County project, the city wants a say in which homeless people will be allowed to live in the facility.
The Homekey project, dubbed the Weingart Primrose, has turned the former Extended Stay America hotel on Albertoni Street into an apartment complex with 104 studio apartments designated for qualified homeless individuals within Los Angeles County; there’s also one unit set aside for a building manager.
The Carson City Council and its residents, however, have spoken out against the project over the past of couple of months, saying that if there is to be homeless housing within the city, they want it to be unhoused California State University, Dominguez Hills students — something that, until recently, they thought was possible.
Weingart Primrose was brought to the city’s attention in 2024 and they proposed that the site be used to house solely homeless California State University, Dominguez Hills students. And, according to Carson City Manager David Roberts, both the county and the Weingart Center Association (the developer of the project) agreed to this.
“If you have to have a project here in this great city, why not take care of our 1,500 Cal State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) students,” Carson Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes said. “They live here. Let’s take care of them.”
Roberts claimed that prior to Weingart CEO Kevin Murray being placed on leave, they had agreed to prioritize housing CSUDH students. But, when a Nov. 2025 investigation into Weingart’s financial ethics instigated a leadership change, these “promises” were rolled back.
However, according to county officials, this was not a commitment the county ever made as it would violate the project agreement and the state’s fair housing laws.
“While units cannot be restricted for students, any CSUDH student who meets the eligibility requirements as set forth in the agreement with the State, has a tenant-based voucher (the rental subsidy required to fund operations at the building) in hand and who is connected to County’s Intensive Case Management Services, is eligible to apply for housing at the Project,” Sara Mahin, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Homeless Services and Housing, said in a March 9 letter to the Carson City Council.
“The County is open to continuing these discussions and to providing support to eligible homeless students to ensure they are in the Coordinated Entry System, the region’s prioritization system for permanent supportive housing, and positioned to be matched to a voucher when available,” Mahin added.
This was not good enough for the City of Carson and, on Thursday, May 21, the city held a rally outside of the project site, threatening legal action.
“Do not bring homeless individuals who are not from this community,” Councilmember Cedric Hicks said during the rally. “We have our own. We don’t need to bring somebody else from another community into our own community. We need to take care of what we have here in our own cities. Stop dropping off stuff that does not belong in our community.”
Thursday morning’s rally featured signs created by the city that said phrases like, “Give students a bed, just like you said,” and “House students today or go away!”
The Homekey program came about during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide funding for the development of no-cost or low-cost interim housing. The state-run funding source provides funding to the counties which then select specific proposed projects. Once a Homekey project has been finished in Los Angeles County, they must use the county’s Coordinated Entry System (CES) to select who will be able to live in the facility.
The CES is a network that “aligns homeless services in the County together to ensure that resources are efficiently and equitably distributed to support people experiencing homelessness,” according to the CES website. This means that those with the most need come first – no matter where they are located in the county.
This has been a concern for the City of Carson, with Roberts noting that this may actually increase the homeless population within the city as unhoused individuals will often set up camp near these facilities while they wait for a room – as has been seen in Skid Row.
According to the CES, around 63,000 people experience homelessness in Los Angeles County and over 11,000 individuals have been approved for Homekey project sites, but are waiting for a spot to open up. However, according to the 2025 Los Angeles County Homeless Count, there are only 46 unhoused individuals within the City of Carson.
At this time, there are 1,500 housing insecure students at CSUDH, but only two have been approved for housing at the Weingart Primrose.
“In partnership with L.A. County, the City of Carson, and the Weingart Association, CSUDH developed processes intended to place unhoused students in the proposed Project Homekey facility,” a CSUDH spokesperson said in a written statement. “While the original objective of accelerating access for CSUDH students was not fully realized, two students were ultimately eligible for the program. Should additional housing opportunities become available, CSUDH remains committed and prepared to participate in this important initiative to house students in need.”
Davis-Holmes said that she does not support mixing the CSUDH student community with unhoused individuals who may suffer from mental illness or substance abuse.
“You would not want your daughter in a shelter that has everything you can think of; drug addicts, rapists, mental illness,” she said. “Is that what you want for your child?”
According to their mission statement Weingart’s goal is to “empower and transform lives by delivering innovative solutions to break the cycle of homelessness.”
And, they have seen results.
Isaac Pierce, 47, was homeless for multiple years, suffering from physical and mental disabilities. With the help of Weingart and Homekey, though, he was able to find permanent housing at the Weingart Tower in Downtown Los Angeles.
“I would never think this was possible,” he said in a video interview. “I couldn’t ask for anything more. It’s truly a blessing that I never expected.”
Sammy Sumpter, 35, was born with cerebral palsy and is confined to wheel chair with severe hearing impairment. He was made homeless when his house burned down and was on the streets of Los Angeles for seven months before LAHSA found him and got him into Weingart’s Hilda Solis Care First Village.
“I’m thankful everyday to have gotten here,” Sumpter said in a video interview. “It’s like a safe haven. I don’t ever want to be on the streets again.”
While only a handful of residents were present for Thursday’s rally, more than 100 were present at an April 30 community meeting where they targeted their anger toward the county and the future Weingart Primrose building manager.
“Our community; they work hard,” Carson Resident Robert Leslie said. “They strive to maintain a certain standard and make sure that our community works and can be recognized for a higher standard. And to come in here and say, ‘we’re going to put a negative type of project here,’ and not allow any type of input, not any type of concern about what’s going to happen to the constituents is inexcusable.”
County representatives tried to quell the safety fears of the community during the meeting by noting that tenants will have to pass a criminal background check, “proving they do not have serious convictions that threaten community safety.”
They also added that the building will have 24/7 onsite security and staff, access cards will be required to enter the building, there will be guest check-in requirements and onsite staff that is trained to de-escalate dangerous situations and coordinate with local services and law enforcement.
Residents of Weingart Primrose will also have access to case management, peer support activities, mental health care, substance use services, physical health care, benefits counseling and basic housing retention skills education.
These services have changed the lives of those who have been homeless for a very long time.
Arcelica Medina, a case manager at the Weingart Tower, talked about a woman named Alma in a video interview, saying that after she was accepted into Weingart Tower, she was almost evicted.
“She had a hard time adjusting to living in an apartment,” Medina said. “She did not know how to use the stove or how to turn off faucets.”
Medina helped teach Alma how to live in a home and ensured she got necessary mental health treatment and medication.
“I was crying for a whole year because I couldn’t believe it,” she added. “I stay in the shower for hours. It’s just so wonderful and so beautiful.”
Alma said that she had been sleeping in her car for six years and had never had a home of her own. Now, she receives healthcare services, socializes, works and pays rent.
“This project is a vital one for Carson — featuring real apartments, leases, wraparound services, and 24-hour on-site security,” Stefan Friedman, a spokesperson for Weingart, said in a written statement. “Weingart Center has engaged the community during this process and remains committed to continuing the dialogue and being a responsible neighbor.”
Despite this, Carson is not backing down.
“We’re going to advise Weingart that it is going to be either 100% of our Cal State University, Dominguez Hills students that are unhoused or it’s no project; period,” Roberts said.
Mitchell, for her part, has said it’s “unfortunate” that the city is pushing back against this project.
“The Primrose is an apartment complex providing permanent housing for people who previously experienced homelessness,” she said in a written statement. “This development was selected by the County through a competitive process and was awarded funds by the State’s Homekey program.
“This site has satisfied all of the City of Carson’s local codes for review and approvals of building,” she added. “It is unfortunate that the City of Carson is not fulfilling its legal responsibility of review and approval of developments meeting their codes. It is also unfortunate that City leadership is mobilizing residents against a site which is aligned with its own state approved housing element.”
The California Housing and Community Development Department (HCD), which determines where Homekey funding will be awarded, said that while they do not monitor projects, they will step in when needed.
“Generally, if HCD is notified or otherwise becomes aware that a city is taking inappropriate actions to block or delay any project, HCD’s Housing Accountability Unit would investigate to determine if the city is violating any funding agreements or applicable laws. “A confirmed violation may have a range of effects which may not necessarily include impacts to funding.”
Davis-Holmes confirmed Thursday that the city will be pursuing litigation to prevent the project from happening as it is currently designed. While details were not given, Carson City Attorney Matthew Cohen said the city does have a case to sue.
“We cannot be complacent with this,” one Carson resident said. “I’m ready to fight.”