HOMELESS INITIATIVE STRATEGIES
The Homeless Initiative conducted 18 policy summits in 2015 and 2016 to ensure its strategies had input from diverse stakeholders, including elected officials; County departments and agencies; cities and Councils of Governments; policy experts; service providers; community, business, labor, philanthropy and faith-based organizations; as well as people with lived expertise.
The summits resulted in an action plan with 47 strategies that later expanded to the current set of 51 strategies in an implementation plan approved by the Board of Supervisors in 2017.
Halfway through the 10-year term of Measure H, the Homeless Initiative proposed an updated framework for preventing and addressing homelessness, which the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved in 2022.
MEASURE H-FUNDED STRATEGIES
Strategy A. Prevent Homelessness
Combating homelessness requires effective strategies to reduce the number of families and individuals who become homeless, in addition to helping currently homeless families and individuals move into permanent housing.
This includes reducing both the number of individuals discharged into homelessness from institutions such as jails, hospitals, and foster care and the number of families and individuals who lose their homes.
- A1: Homeless Prevention Program for Families
- A5: Homeless Prevention Program for Individuals
Strategy B. Subsidized Housing
Almost all homeless families and individuals lack sufficient income to pay rent on an ongoing basis, particularly given the extremely high cost of market-rate housing in Los Angeles County. In this context, subsidizing rent and related housing costs is key to enabling homeless families and individuals to secure and retain permanent housing and to preventing families and individuals from becoming homeless.
- B1: Provide Subsidized Housing to Homeless Disabled Individuals Pursuing Supplemental Security Income
- B3: Expand Rapid Rehousing
- B4: Facilitate Utilization of Federal Housing Subsidies
- B6: Family Reunification Housing Subsidies
- B7: Interim/Bridge Housing for Those Exiting Institutions
Strategy C. Increase Income
Most currently homeless families and individuals have the ability to increase their income to the point where they will be able to pay for their own housing in the future if they secure the assistance they need to increase their income.
A high percentage of homeless adults can increase their income through employment; severely disabled homeless individuals can increase their income through federal disability benefits. Enabling a high percentage of homeless adults to pay for their own housing is key to combating homelessness.
- C2/C7: Increase Employment for Homeless Adults
- C4, C5, C6: Countywide Supplemental Security/Social Security Disability Income and Veterans Benefits Advocacy
Strategy D. Provide Case Management and Services
Most homeless families and individuals need some level of case management and supportive services to secure and maintain permanent housing, though the specific need varies greatly, depending on the individual circumstances. The availability of appropriate case management and supportive services is key to enabling homeless families and individuals to take advantage of an available rental subsidy, increase their income, and access/utilize available public services and benefits.
- D2: Jail In-Reach
- D6: Criminal Record Clearing Project
- D7: Provide Services and Rental Subsidies for Permanent Supportive Housing
Strategy E. Create a Coordinated System
Given their complex needs, homeless individuals, families and youth often touch multiple County departments, city agencies and community-based providers. Maximizing the efficacy of current programs and expenditures necessitates a coordinated system which brings together homeless and mainstream services.
- E7: Strengthen the Coordinated Entry System
- E8: Enhance the Emergency Shelter System
- E14: Enhance Services for Transition Age Youth
Strategy F. Increase Affordable/ Homeless Housing
The lack of affordable housing overall and homeless housing, in particular, contributes substantially to the current crisis of homelessness. The County and cities throughout the region can increase the availability of both affordable and homeless housing through a combination of land use policy and subsidies for housing development.
- Strategy F7: Preserve and Promote the Development of Affordable Housing for Homeless Families and Individuals
