Los Angeles County’s most recent Pathway Home operation connected 45 people with safe interim housing, all of whom had been living in dangerous conditions near the Los Angeles River in and around Bellflower, Downey, and Norwalk.
The September 24 operation focused on makeshift encampments along the riverbed hidden from public view. In the months leading up to the move, outreach workers hiked the vast riverbed, negotiating steep concrete embankments in the hot sun to engage with people who were surviving in these precarious sites. These may be largely unsafe areas—but for people experiencing homelessness, it was their refuge.
“This one is complicated,” said Kim Barnette, who leads the Pathway Home program. “So many jurisdictions. Also for me, it’s close to my heart. I grew up around here. It’s where our homeless neighbors find respite.”
LA County Chief Executive Office principal analyst Kim Barnette speaks at a briefing before a Pathway Home operation in Bellflower, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. (Photo by Michael Owen Baker)
On and leading up to operation day, the outreach teams listened to people’s life stories and worked to connect them with housing opportunities. As a result, Pathway Home placed 41 people in interim housing in motels in the region and another four people accepted other interim housing options.
Rosa watches her cat “Coyote” as she waits to register for interim housing in Santa Fe Springs during a Pathway Home operation, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. (Photo by Michael Owen Baker)
Rosa, 42, has lived off and on in the riverbed with friends for about seven months and been homeless for 10 years. Her belongings were packed into two yellow bags. Her sleek gray and white cat, Coyote, was secured in his kennel. Rosa was ready to move inside. “I’m tired of being out here,” she said. “I can’t do this anymore.” Now that she’s safely indoors, Rosa has a goal to go back to school and finish her education.
Bringing people inside is not always a linear process. Housing isn’t always immediately available. And when it is, people who have a long history of being let down by hollow offers of housing that never materialized may be slow to trust that finally they have a credible offer. The Pathway Home program was designed to allow time for outreach workers to build trust and understanding with people living unsheltered so they can slowly but surely make their way to ‘Yes.’
People in encampments often form tight friendships and support each other. So, groups of people—including Rosa and her friends—were moved into the same motel. As much as possible, Pathway Home will house encampment friends in the same interim housing site. That also increases the chances that people will succeed in interim housing.
“At the end of the day, they’re a community,” said Max Estrada, the outreach lead from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA).
The move took a legion of providers and homelessness experts working together. Joint outreach teams from LAHSA, the LA County Sheriff’s Homeless Outreach Services Team (HOST), and the nonprofit service provider PATH worked for several weeks leading up to the operation to prepare people to voluntarily accept housing and supportive services. The Pathway Home team then coordinated the operation to place people – and their pets – into motels under agreement with the county to be used as interim housing which is managed by HOPICS and Whittier First Day.
Group photo before a Pathway Home operation in Bellflower, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. (Photo by Michael Owen Baker)
Other partners included the office of LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn, whose district includes the Bellflower, Norwalk, and Downey area; as well as the LA County Departments of Mental Health, Health Services, Animal Care and Control, and Public Works, and the cities of Bellflower, Norwalk, and Downey.
This operation was the 65th overall Pathway Home encampment resolution since the Los Angeles County Homeless Initiative launched the program in August 2023. More than 1,700 Los Angeles County residents have come off the streets through Pathway Home. Of those, more than 400 are now permanently housed. These operations have also removed more than 1,000 RVs from the streets.
Los Angeles County prioritized addressing encampments with compassion and care when the Board of Supervisors declared a local state of emergency in 2023. The State of California recently followed suit by convening a task force to respond to encampments. The Bellflower operation, which was funded by a $51 million state Encampment Resolution Fund (ERF) grant, is one example of how Los Angeles County is using state resources to bring people off the streets, into safe interim housing, and, ultimately, into permanent homes while returning community spaces such as public streets, waterways and other facilities to their intended use.
Pathway Home is partially funded by Measure A, a ½-cent sales tax approved by voters in November 2024 to repeal and replace Measure H. Funding also pays for removal of any non-operational RVs, trash, and other debris that accumulates at encampments. It also covers costs associated with securing interim housing sites, such as motels, and site security.
Rosa holds her cat “Coyote” in her interim housing in Santa Fe Springs during a Pathway Home operation, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. (Photo by Michael Owen Baker)