Northridge homeless shelter named after Alex Trebek opens

NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - A homeless shelter named after the late "Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek opened in Northridge Thursday. 

In 2020, Hope of the Valley purchased a 23,000 square foot Northridge Roller Rink (Skateland) to convert it into the 107-bed housing facility to offer further shelter and services for the homeless. 

The building of the shelter became part of Mayor Eric Garcetti's "A Bridge Home" initiative. 

The shelter was built thanks in large part to a $500,000 donation from Alex Trebek and his wife before he passed away in 2020. Hope of the Valley purchased the land for $7 million after raising $2 million for the down payment.

A major portion of the funding was also secured through the city's "A Bridge Home" initiative, which launched in 2018 to develop interim shelter in an effort to quickly get people off the streets. Mayor Eric Garcetti, who launched the initiative, and Councilman John Lee, who represents Northridge in the Los Angeles City Council, joined Hope of the Valley and Jean Trebek for a grand opening of the Trebek Center Thursday morning.

The Trebek Center will offer residents an array of services designed to help them get back on their feet and into more permanent housing, such as substance-abuse counseling, job training and placement, mental health services, and more.