ASSETS AND RISKS

Assets of West Hollywood:
In addition to a wealth of Social Services, West Hollywood provides many other assets to the community, including public parks, a large public library, shopping centers and markets, and child care programs and schools for children.

Parks
West Hollywood has a number of parks spread throughout the community and is committed to creating more green space for its residents:
Havenhurst Park
Kings Road Park
Plummer Park
West Hollywood Park
William S. Hart Park & Off-leash Dog Park

Map of West Hollywood Parks
WeHo Park Master Plan

Schools
Currently, there are no elementary, middle, or high schools located in the city of West Hollywood. However, there are nine private pre-schools and one public preschool within the city limits. Additionally, there are a number of programs that reach out to children of all ages and their families to provide health care services, child care, and counseling.
For a list of these programs, click here.

Public Libraries
The West Hollywood Library is getting a major renovation, due to be complete in 2011. In addition to books and multimedia for checkout and computers and meeting rooms available for public use, the Library will also host a number of community services.
For more information about the West Hollywood Library plan, click here.

Supermarkets and Restaurants
There are a number of upscale supermarkets in West Hollywood, as well as some smaller stores catering to the Russian community, and some health food stores. Additionally, there are a large number of restaurants, cafes, and bars, offering food and drink across the spectrum of price ranges and menus.
For a list of eateries in West Hollywood, click here.

Grocery stores located in the city: Gelson's, a more upscale grocery store and Odessa, a Russian grocery store.


Risks/Deficits of West Hollywood:
Although the community of West Hollywood has many assets thanks to their flourishing businesses and hotels, it does have some deficits. The common deficit mentioned by city leaders as well as social service providers was housing. West Hollywood has a decent number of single person dwellings, mainly 1 bedroom apartments or studios, but little to no multiple-family dwellings. Although West Hollywood is known for being home to singles and young couples, it is beginning to have more and more families, but limited space for them.

In addition to the lack of housing, some West Hollywood residents also have to face the lack of housing. This is more of an issue for elderly in the community who often live on a fixed income and cannot afford the increase in rent. According to city leaders, the waiting list for government housing, Section 8, is in the thousands and is estimated to be 8+ years long.

Another need that was addressed by service providers is financial aid for seniors. Some senior citizens in the West Hollywood community report they do not have enough money to both pay for rent and eat healthy, so they often times go hungry. Although the city provides free meals at some of their community centers like at Plummer Park, some seniors still report going hungry.