Los Angeles County’s Pathway Home program helps people transition from encampments into interim housing and then provides them with supportive services on their way to permanent housing.
After its first Pathway Home encampment resolution brought 50 people indoors from tents and RVs in Lennox, the County followed up by hosting a Service Connect Day for them at the hotel that is currently serving as their interim housing.
Led by the Los Angeles County Homeless Initiative and the Department of Health Services (DHS)-Housing for Health, Service Connect Day is an on-site one-stop-shop for people to access essential programs and services that they may need or want, such as physical and mental healthcare, substance use disorder treatment, benefits enrollment, life skills development, and more.
“Service Connect Day helps our previously unhoused neighbors settle into their new location, promotes stability, and enables them to be document-ready so they can be connected to permanent housing and resources,” Homeless Initiative Executive Director Cheri Todoroff said.
“This is the next step for somebody who was unhoused and living in an encampment. Here, they are getting what they need to be connected to permanent housing and be sustained,” said Isela Gracian, senior deputy for homelessness and housing with the Office of Supervisor Holly Mitchell. “This is about people saying yes to housing, keeping their housing, and being on that Pathway Home.”
During the County’s first Service Connect Day, dozens of Pathway Home participants engaged with:
- DHS-Housing for Health for primary, specialized and behavioral health care services, and to enroll for Social Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
- Department of Mental Health for support services and access to outpatient mental health treatment, including the Veterans Peer Access Network (VPAN) which helps veterans navigate often complicated systems so they can receive necessary mental health, substance abuse, employment, healthcare, education, legal, and housing services;
- Department of Public Health for substance use disorder treatment
- Department of Public Social Services for enrollment in General Relief, CalFresh and Medi-Cal programs as well as free tablets and cell phones
- Department of Consumer and Business Affairs-Office of Immigrant Affairs for a variety of services for documented and undocumented immigrants
- Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to assist veterans in establishing benefits on the State or federal level, including enrollment in VA healthcare; and
- California Department of Motor Vehicles for no-fee ID vouchers and ID services.