Locals, commuters, and residents are currently marveling at the craftsmanship behind a community of homes sitting on the side of a highway in Los Angeles.
Created by homeless people, the homes are built of makeshift structures that sit beside the Arroyo Seco next to the 110 Freeway near Highland Park.
The community of homes is made from materials like tents, tarps, wood, and scrap materials, and they are separated from each other by piles of rocks from the river's cement embankment.
One particular structure stands out from the rest and is complete with a front door, lights, a stove, a walkway, a stone wall, and even a hammock.
A community of homes is currently sitting on the side of a highway in Los Angeles
Image credits: FOX 11 Los Angeles
Alejandro Diaz, who immigrated to the U.S. from Guatemala about eight years ago, told FOX 11 that he created the makeshift house and made it his address for the last couple of years.
There is a concrete path that leads to Alejandro’s home against a backdrop of constant noise from the busy freeway. The makeshift home also has a section dedicated to freshly planted flowers and trees.
A home tour revealed that Alejandro’s abode had a bed, a television set, and extension cords that draw power from the street light. There is also a toilet, but it reportedly does not offer running water to its users.
One particular structure stands out from the rest of the makeshift houses along Arroyo Seco
Image credits: FOX 11 Los Angeles
"He has lights, a stove, refrigerator for food, it's in good condition," Cesar told ABC7 about Alejandro’s home.
Cesar also lives along the Arroyo Seco and said he can’t afford proper housing because of the nature of his part-time job.
"The work is one day, two days then no more," he told the outlet.
While talking about his inability to move to another place, Cesar said, "For my work, I can't do that and move to another place because the rent is too high."
Alejandro Diaz, who immigrated to the United States from Guatemala, made the home his address for the last couple of years
Image credits: FOX 11 Los Angeles
Cesar, who has lived along the Arroyo Seco for four years in one of the makeshift homes, said, "It's good because nobody bothers us. That's why we're here."
People online agreed that Alejandro did a pretty good job of making the most out of what was available to him.
“That is pretty damn nice under the circumstances,” one wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“List it on Zillow and you’ll get some offers,” one Facebook user said, while another wrote, “I’ve seen this house before.. well done.. great job.”
The makeshift house reportedly has a toilet but no running water
Image credits: FOX 11 Los Angeles
Another person pointed out that “its NOT his property so this is a story of thievery & land squatting.”
“Why are we glorifying someone who is breaking who knows how many laws? There is nothing commendable about this,” another wrote on Facebook.
While many have taken notice of Alejandro’s eye-catching structure beside the 110 Freeway, not everyone living in the area is happy about it.
“I was just admiring the work that they’ve done,” Neighbor Mike Ancheta told KTLA. “Then, of course, you get violently attacked by these guys.”
Alejandro's home even has a TV, but not everyone is happy with the makeshift structure that is nestled beside the highway
Image credits: FOX 11 Los Angeles
Mike believes the encampment should not be there beside the highway and should soon be moved by officials.
“This doesn’t belong here. This is public property,” Mike told the outlet. “But this is not what it’s supposed to be used for. This is dangerous. As you can see, someone is cooking out there, an open fire. They are stealing electricity. I mean, come on.”
Another neighbor, Enrique Rodriguez, expressed sympathy for the people who can’t afford proper housing and resort to living in the makeshift houses beside the freeway. But he also agreed with Mike about the encampment needing to move.
“It sucks that some of these people are here,” he said. “I do wish better for those people. I cannot be sorry for the mistakes that they made.”
Some residents in the area believe the encampment needs to be moved amid the crisis of homelessness in LA
Fellow California resident Ulysses Chavez said it is becoming increasingly difficult to afford living in Los Angeles.
“It’s messed up,” he told the outlet. “They should lower rent. They should lower all kinds of stuff, especially in L.A.”
There are thousands of people currently in Los Angeles who find it impossible to afford housing. Officials said they are working toward finding a solution to the homeless encampment at the Arroyo Seco next to the 110 Freeway.
"Our office regularly works with unhoused residents living in and around this encampment. We engage multiple partners to provide services, including street medicine teams, mental health professionals, and providers who coordinate housing placements,” said Los Angeles City Council member Eunisses Hernandez, whose office oversees the area.
“Multiple people living in this area recently transitioned into permanent housing or into our newly opened interim housing site, Northeast New Beginnings,” Eunisses added.
"Right now, there are simply not enough housing options available to accommodate the more than 46,000 people who are experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles, and our team is working with our partners to urgently create pathways for more people to come indoors."
Despite the issue of homelessness in the area, people agreed that Alejandro did a good job with his house with whatever he could get his hands on
