Dr. Emily Thomas with the LA County Department of Health Services talks to local residents on Skid Row outside STAR Clinic.
A state grant from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Encampment Resolution Fund aimed at expanding housing and services on Skid Row helped move 1,975 people into interim housing and 990 in permanent housing, according to new outcome data on the grant’s first year. In addition, approximately 8,000 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness received outreach services or services through an access center or health clinic during the first year of the grant.
These outcomes highlight the impact of an infusion of funding, as well as collaboration among state, county, city and community partners, in resolving homeless encampments in Los Angeles County. The $60 million Encampment Resolution Fund awarded to Los Angeles County in June 2023 has already been a critical catalyst for clearing homeless encampments in the densely populated Skid Row. It also has spurred progress for the Skid Row Action Plan, a comprehensive initiative designed to improve living conditions and transform the downtown neighborhood into a safe and thriving community.
“This grant propelled our work in Skid Row and made it possible to serve thousands of vulnerable individuals and get them off the streets and into housing,” said Housing for Health Deputy Director Elizabeth Boyce. “We are thankful for the grant and know that we will continue in the coming years to move even more people indoors and help them on their path toward stability.”
The three-year state grant is supporting a wide variety of projects, including increasing interim and permanent housing opportunities, the launch of a 24/7 ‘Safe Landing’ triage space at the Cecil Hotel for walk-ins, trauma-informed training for interim housing providers and an air traffic access center to move people into interim housing more quickly.
L.A. County was one of several regions to receive the grants. The California Interagency Council on Homelessness injected $191 million across California, aimed at supporting 23 projects across 22 communities and housing 7,300 homeless individuals statewide.
There are 3,791 people experiencing homelessness in Skid Row, 2,112 of them unsheltered, according to the 2024 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count. This is the densest concentration of people experiencing homelessness in the County, according to the count. This year’s results showed a 14% drop in homelessness and a 22% drop in unsheltered homelessness in Skid Row.
“I am extremely grateful to Governor Gavin Newsom for awarding Los Angeles County $60 million from the State of California’s Encampment Resolution Fund Program to support Skid Row residents,” said LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis. “Skid Row has the highest concentration of unhoused Angelenos. To that end, we know that more resources are needed in this area to help overcome the consequences of structural and systemic inequalities.”
Solis added, “I have championed budget investments to help fund the Every Woman Housed Program and the Skid Row Action Plan – holistic initiatives committed to improving the health and wellness of our unhoused neighbors in Skid Row. And this grant is another example of how much of a difference it makes when stakeholders such as LA County, LA City, the State, community organizations, and residents come together to support our most vulnerable.”
The new data showed that older residents particularly benefitted from the Encampment Resolution Fund, as 34% of people placed in permanent housing were aged 55 and older. The grant also focused heavily on women, placing 453 in permanent housing and 737 in interim housing. The Every Woman Housed program, which is designed to end homelessness for women and families in Skid Row, helped make those placements possible and contributed to an overall 42% drop in unsheltered women in the neighborhood from 2022 to 2024, according to Homeless Count data.
The Skid Row Action Plan started in June 2022, when Housing for Health in the LA County Department of Health Services began working with stakeholders, government and County partners, business owners and community members to develop a proposal to comprehensively address the need for community improvements including more housing, behavioral health, substance use treatment, and other services for residents impacted by homelessness in the area. The final report includes a wide array of community recommendations made by the people who live and work in Skid Row every day. It is the result of many hours of work and partnership between community members and stakeholders that is producing meaningful community results.
The initiative also addresses the alarming overdose mortality rate in the area, which is the highest in LA County. The plan also leverages Measure H funding from LA County’s Homeless Initiative, Care First Community Investment, Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) and other sources.
The next steps for the Skid Row Action Plan include expanding job and entrepreneurship opportunities and building a campus that will include a harm reduction health hub, a safe services outdoor space and an enriched residential care facility for people who need additional help staying permanently housed. Community members and organizations will continue as integral partners through resident councils.