Million Dollar Public Toilets For The Homeless?

The L.A. Downtown News is reporting that four high-tech, self-cleaning public toilets will be delivered to L.A.’s Central City area. Each toilet costs $250,000. Three of these toilets are being placed in Skid Row.

Every time someone uses the facility, the door shuts and the facility is “pressure-washed, disinfected and dried.”

It seems costly to spend so much money on such high-tech bathroom facilities. For a quarter of a million dollars, we could build an affordable housing unit for someone living on the streets.

It seems more logical to build bathroom facilities (low-tech type) in existing homeless service centers in Skid Row. There are already security and staff operating these centers.

What we do at the PATH Mall, is that we have toilet facilities in the mall. And when people walk in to use the bathroom, they now have options to connect to services that address more important needs—mental health care, substance abuse counseling, employment training, housing, etc.

It just makes sense that if we are going to spend public dollars on helping the homeless, they should be spent to connect them to services and housing that actually get people off the streets.

(Pic from www.ladowntownnews.com)