In the heart of downtown Los Angeles, residents and business leaders say the county's new Skid Row Care Campus has gone from hopeful experiment to neighborhood flashpoint in a matter of months. They report open drug use, frequent overdoses, and a string of violent incidents spilling onto the sidewalks around the building. What was designed as a low-barrier services hub is now described in stark terms by some neighbors and BID officials, and calls for tighter oversight are growing louder.
As reported by FOX 11, aerial and street-level video shows people openly using drugs just steps from the campus entrance and paramedics treating overdoses on the sidewalk. FOX 11 also reviewed police data indicating LAPD officers responded 693 times to the 400-500 blocks of South Crocker Street since Jan. 1, 2026, and that four homicides were recorded on those blocks in the first four months of 2026. Neighbors and business owners say the images and numbers explain why their patience has snapped.
What the campus offers
The county-run Skid Row Care Campus provides showers, laundry, case management, a harm reduction health hub and recovery and respite beds, and county officials say the site began offering services in April 2025. The facility operates in partnership with Homeless Health Care Los Angeles, Social Model Recovery Systems and Wesley Health Centers, with posted daily hours that narrow late at night. Reporting by KFF Health News notes the campus is funded with roughly $26 million a year in public and private dollars.
Neighbors and police raise the alarm
Business leaders and residents say activity outside the campus has turned daily life into a grind, with Downtown Industrial BID leaders and nearby workers describing open drug dealing, fires and general disorder on the sidewalk. Local police commanders told reporters that a recent homicide cluster on a two-block stretch is alarming and has added strain for first responders. Residents also say the campus's nightly closing hours push volatile behavior back onto the street until the facility opens again each morning.
Money, oversight and the nonprofits involved
Public tax filings and nonprofit databases indicate Homeless Health Care Los Angeles' revenue has climbed sharply in recent years. Filings show roughly $20.6 million in revenue for fiscal 2024, with the vast majority coming from government sources. That surge has prompted critics to question contractor vetting, performance metrics and whether the county is tracking neighborhood impacts that may be tied to the expansion of services.
Planning and legal questions
The county's Skid Row Action Plan explicitly lists an "overdose prevention/safe consumption site" as a possible future component, but the document states that such a site would only be considered once new legislation is passed or a Skid Row overdose state of emergency is enacted. Federal and appellate court fights over supervised consumption facilities elsewhere, including litigation that stalled a proposed Philadelphia site, highlight how drug law and zoning disputes can complicate or completely block similar efforts in Los Angeles.
Officials say they're responding
County officials have told reporters they increased security at the campus and expanded street outreach, and say they work closely with LAPD and city leaders. Press coverage also quotes the mayor's office saying she is "aware of and concerned" about the problems. Community groups are pushing for conditional use rules for harm reduction sites, while business coalitions continue to call for enforcement changes, leaving county and city leaders to walk a tightrope between providing life-saving services and addressing neighborhood safety concerns.
