Taxpayer-funded 'Meth Mansion' under fire as crime concerns mount around homeless campus

A Los Angeles County-funded homeless services campus dubbed a "Meth Mansion" by critics is facing mounting scrutiny after residents, business leaders and law enforcement officials raised alarms about violence, drug activity and public safety concerns surrounding the facility.

The Skid Row Care Campus, located at 442 S. Crocker Street in downtown Los Angeles, was approved by county officials as part of a broader effort to address homelessness in Skid Row. Public records reviewed by Fox News Digital show the site was established as a "Safe Services Space and Harm Reduction Health Hub" offering health care, short-term recovery beds, showers, laundry facilities, case management and harm-reduction resources.

County records show the facility is operated by Homeless Health Care Los Angeles, Social Model Recovery Systems and Wesley Health Centers. The campus costs approximately $26 million annually to operate, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.

But recent reporting by FOX 11 Los Angeles documented what critics describe as a growing public safety crisis around the campus, including open-air drug use, overdoses and violent crime in the immediate vicinity.

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According to FOX 11, LAPD officers responded nearly 700 times to the 400 and 500 blocks of Crocker Street this year, averaging roughly six calls per day. The station also reported four homicides occurred on those two blocks during the first four months of 2026.

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Fox News Digital has requested records and comment from the LAPD regarding the reported crime figures.

LAPD Central Division Commanding Officer Capt. Kelli Muñiz told FOX 11 that the concentration of violence should concern city leaders regardless of the neighborhood.

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"Any time you have four homicides in the same area, everybody should be alarmed," Muñiz said. "It shouldn't matter the socioeconomic status of that community. We're talking two small blocks. Four deaths in four months."

FOX 11 also reported aerial and ground-level footage showing people openly using drugs near the facility, emergency responders treating overdose patients and suspected drug dealing in the surrounding area.

"People are overdosing, people are fighting, people have lit fires. It's just mayhem, 24/7," Estela Lopez, executive director of the Downtown Industrial District Business Improvement District, previously told FOX 11.

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Downtown Los Angeles resident David Fleming told FOX 11 that conditions surrounding the facility have become a daily quality-of-life and public safety concern.

"Open-air drug use, open-air drug dealing, animal abuse, public lewd sex acts — anything that you wouldn't want to have in your own neighborhood occurs there on a daily basis," Fleming said. "Don't trust the county and the city when they say they want to put some services in your neighborhood and it won't impact your neighborhood negatively."

Lopez told Fox News Digital that while Skid Row has long struggled with crime and disorder, the conditions surrounding the care campus stand out even by neighborhood standards.

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"Imagine how much worse this place has to be that, in spite of it being a neighborhood of chaos and mayhem 24/7, this location has stood out for how much worse it has made that block," Lopez said. "Imagine how bad this has to be to shine out in that context."

Lopez argued that government officials have failed to hold the facility accountable despite the volume of police and emergency responses associated with the area.

"If this were a private business that was causing this kind of mayhem on the streets, the city would act under nuisance abatement," Lopez said. "When you have generated nearly 700 calls for service in a short period from the police department, there are measures that the city can take."

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"They're saying, 'Well, it's a county facility.' What does that mean?" Lopez continued. "Does that mean another government entity can come in and create mayhem, hundreds of police calls, dangerous situations and homicides, and that's okay because it's a county facility?"

Lopez also criticized what she described as a lack of accountability from county officials.

"I went to the county supervisor who advocated for this facility and funded it, and her staff has been completely stonewalling," Lopez said. "This is the second facility. This is not the first."

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According to Lopez, she raised concerns about another county-backed harm-reduction facility years ago and believes officials failed to address the issues before opening the larger Crocker Street campus.

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The controversy has reignited debate over harm-reduction policies, which seek to reduce the health consequences of drug use through services such as clean syringes, smoking supplies, overdose-reversal medication and connections to treatment and housing services.

Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, whose district includes the campus, defended the facility's mission in a statement previously provided to FOX 11.

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"Everyone in Skid Row, residents, workers, business owners, service providers, and unhoused Angelenos, deserves to be safe and treated with dignity," Jurado said. "The Skid Row Care Campus was created through extensive community input to provide essential services like showers, restrooms, laundry, health care, harm reduction, case management, and respite in a neighborhood that has been neglected for far too long."

Jurado added that, "We cannot solve Skid Row by criminalizing poverty or pushing people from block to block."

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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass acknowledged concerns surrounding the site but emphasized that the facility is operated by Los Angeles County.

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"This is a County-operated facility, and I am aware of and concerned about the problems associated with the campus," Bass told Fox News Digital. "I am in discussions with the County about how to resolve these concerns."

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The County of Los Angeles previously defended the facility in a statement provided to FOX 11.

"The County of Los Angeles is committed to safety and security at the Skid Row Care Campus and takes any concerns from businesses and neighbors seriously," the county said. "We recently increased campus security and expanded outreach on nearby streets to connect individuals to housing and support. We also work closely with LAPD and LA City leaders on the site's operations."

Public records reviewed by Fox News Digital show county officials envisioned the campus as a key component of the county's broader Skid Row Action Plan, which sought to expand healthcare, housing assistance and harm-reduction services in the neighborhood.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Los Angeles County officials, the LAPD, Jurado, and the facility's operators for additional comment and records regarding campus operations, security measures and crime trends in the surrounding area.