Project 50: Four walls and a bed

In late 2007, Los Angeles County officials embarked on an ambitious and unconventional approach to chronic homelessness. The 50 people deemed most at risk of dying on the streets of downtown L.A.'s skid row would be handed the keys to apartments, with a minimum of restrictions. They wouldn't have to take psychiatric medications, attend 12-step meetings or even stay sober. The premise was that access to an indoor refuge might stabilize precarious lives. Times reporter Christopher Goffard and photographer Genaro Molina tracked participants in Project 50 over the last two years. This four-part series is the result.

Project 50: Four walls and a bed