Korean-American residents continue to report victimization at residential treatment centers for drug and alcohol addiction.
Last month, The Korea Daily reported on Koreatown residents and neighbors affected by marijuana smoking, shouting, and gunfire at a private rehabilitation center near Hoover Avenue and Pico Boulevard.
Charles Kim, who owns a home near Crenshaw Boulevard and Venice Boulevard in the southwest part of Koreatown, said his two-bedroom apartment has been troubled by smells and garbage from his neighbors, as well as homelessness and yelling in the parking lot.
Kim’s home is divided into two units and occupied by renters. The area has been known for its relative quietness. However, the recent establishment of a rehabilitation nonprofit to the south has led to a flood of complaints, according to Kim.
The house is now managed by an organization called House of Hope, and it’s often overcrowded, with as many as 40 people residing there. As a result, excess food and garbage are frequently piled up in the parking lot in front of the house, leading to infestations of flies and cockroaches.
Frustrated, Kim complained to the city government and the treatment center’s managers to clean up the trash, but nothing has changed.
“I contacted the building’s safety department and demanded a solution, but they didn’t reply, and last week I was told I had to file a written complaint with the city hall online, which I did with the help of my neighbors,” Kim said.
“If a facility that helps with drug and alcohol rehabilitation has to coexist with a residential area, it should at least maintain basic hygiene,” Kim added.
House of Hope, which operates four or five similar facilities in the area, is fully licensed by the city and county of Los Angeles. Its website is currently not accessible to the public.
Photos and comments on Yelp reveal a horrific state of maintenance problems. Residents described the facility as their “worst nightmare” due to lack of maintenance, and pointed out that household items and bedding brought in by residents remain trashed and piled up after they leave. Some questioned why the city hasn’t closed this unmanageable facility and left it alone. At the same time, they wrote, it’s unclear how more than 40 people can be housed in such a small space, and what responsibility the city will take for the ensuing safety, sanitation, and crime issues.
The city provides quite significant amount of funding to shelters and rehabilitation centers run by major nonprofits. However, if the facilities they manage become uninhabitable and unhygienic, it’s important to question who is responsible.
BY BRIAN CHOI, JUNHAN PARK [ichoi@koreadaily.com]
