LifeArk Village at Garland

Dome Village 1993-2006

Dome Village was a community founded in 1993 in downtown Los Angeles by Ted Hayes, a prominent activist for civil rights for the homeless, to provide a transitional housing for roughly 30 homeless individuals using 18 fiberglass geodesic domes called “Omni-Sphere”. DV was not only meant to be housing, but also a place for community and stability so that residents could eventually transition into stable jobs and homes.

Dome Village was situated on the exact lot on 8th St. and Garland Ave. in Los Angeles where LifeArk is proposing a 118 bed transitional shelter community based upon our concept of a micro-community and communal living - recalling on Ted Haye’s original vision for the site:

“The idea was to create a family environment.... We recognized that people needed to be in a social environment, but they needed a private space…” - Ted Hayes, LA Times, 2006

With the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic causing catastrophic damage to the livelihoods of millions of people living at the edge of poverty in this country, the demand for more shelters and transitional housing is growing at an exponential rate.

LifeArk is proposing a 118 bed transitional shelter community called LifeArk Village at the corner of 8th St. and Garland Ave. in downtown Los Angeles.

With LifeArk Village, residents are welcome to their own dignified safe space nestled within smaller micro-communities where they can build relationships, recover from co-morbidities, and build a platform from which they can transition into a life of stability. One of the biggest goals of LifeArk Village is to present an alternative solution to isolated, independent shelter living so that residents are encouraged to leave the streets and build their lives in a safe space.

LifeArk Village will provide a community center for supportive services from experienced homeless service provider Illumination Foundation, as well as community-living spaces like a dog run, BBQ and picnic areas, and gardens.