LA County Reports Significant Progress in First Year of Emergency Homeless Response
With emergency powers, LA County served nearly 38,000 people in interim housing, permanently housed more than 23,600 people, doubled the number of mental health outreach teams, and prevented over 11,000 people from becoming homeless.
In the one year since the Board of Supervisors unanimously declared a state of emergency on homelessness, Los Angeles County reported that nearly 38,000 people came indoors to interim housing while outreach and treatment dramatically increased for those living on the streets with physical and behavioral health challenges countywide. LA County also placed more than 23,600 people into permanent housing – ending their homelessness – and prevented over 11,000 people from becoming homeless in the first place.
The emergency declaration has enabled LA County to accelerate service delivery, cut red tape, and jumpstart process changes that are scaling and fast-tracking the ongoing work to prevent and end homelessness. This includes:
- Strengthening partnerships with and supporting local jurisdictions and unincorporated areas;
- Hiring additional frontline staff such as outreach workers, housing navigators, mental health clinicians and substance use counselors;
- Investing in innovative strategies to increase our housing stock such as unit acquisition and Homekey.
The emergency declaration also enabled LA County to launch its encampment resolution program, Pathway Home, in 87 of the County’s 88 cities (this excludes the City of Los Angeles which administers its own program, Inside Safe, with the support of LA County) and unincorporated areas.
Pathway Home delivers comprehensive is a full-circle solutions that brings people off the streets into immediately available interim housing accompanied by a comprehensive suite of supportive services and, ultimately, into safe, permanent homes. Launched in August 2023, Pathway Home has already brought more than 400 people safely indoors, more than 50 of whom have moved into permanent housing.
In 2024, the County plans to complete 38 Pathway Home operations, putting approximately 1,800 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness on a path to housing stability.
The emergency response builds on LA County’s existing solutions that have housed 104,000 people over the last six-and-a-half years since voters approved a ballot initiative to create the first funding stream dedicated to preventing and addressing homelessness. Over the same period, LA County also placed 143,000 people in interim housing and prevented 31,750 people from falling into homelessness.
Resolving Encampments Countywide
Initiatives launched under the homeless emergency like Pathway Home are bringing people indoors and returning community spaces to their intended purposes. Adjust the slider on each image to see a before and after photo from two recent encampment resolutions.
