HOMELESS INITIATIVE
Los Angeles County is responsible for many tools that can solve homelessness, but we can only achieve success by harnessing the collective expertise and resources of all our partners.
The Board of Supervisors has tasked the Homeless Initiative to lead unprecedented collaboration between County departments, elected officials, local jurisdictions, service providers, and people who have lived the experience of homelessness.
Together, we have a shared plan and focus: we’re tightening our region’s social safety net, increasing efforts to prevent homelessness, and scaling up bold new solutions to end it.
The Homeless Initiative is the central coordinating body for the countywide effort to expand and enhance housing and services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, including:
Homeless Prevention for people at risk of eviction as well as those exiting foster care, hospitals, jails, and other institutions
Outreach to connect people living outdoors and in vehicles to housing and services
Interim Housing, such as shelters, recuperative care facilities, sober living facilities and other temporary accommodations
Permanent Housing with subsidized rent and, if necessary, intensive case management and other supportive services for people with acute needs
Affordable Housing production and preservation, as well as the protection of tenants
Supportive Services such as case management; connections to health care, mental health care, and substance use disorder treatment; criminal record clearing; benefits enrollment; job training and employment; and other services to help people achieve stability and potentially self-sufficiency
Funding for the Homeless Initiative comes from a variety of federal, state and local sources, including Measure H, a quarter-cent sales tax over 10 years that nearly 70 percent of County voters approved in March 2017, creating the first revenue stream dedicated to addressing and preventing homelessness.
A Citizen’s Oversight Advisory Board as well as quarterly reports, annual audits and performance evaluations ensure transparency and accountability.
