Street Outreach

Multi-Disciplinary Teams and Street Medicine

The Los Angeles County Department of Health (DHS) Housing for Health Division deploys Multidisciplinary Teams (MDTs) whose staff have physical health, mental health, substance use, case management, and peer support experience. They serve clients with more complex health and/or behavioral health conditions. 

Mental Health Teams

Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (DMH) Homeless Outreach and Mobile Engagement (HOME) Specialist teams provide psychiatric support, outreach, and intensive case management to people experiencing homelessness with serious mental illnesses. They support generalist teams as needed.

HOST Teams

The Homeless Outreach Services Teams (HOST) is composed of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA). Together, these experienced teams engage with individuals living in encampments within County flood control facilities or in unincorporated LA County roadways by building trust, and connecting them to vital resources such as housing, healthcare, mental health treatment, and other supportive services. These teams also work in partnership with the Department of Public Works to alleviate the sanitation impacts related to encampments. To report a homeless encampment within unincorporated LA County, click here.

Generalist Teams

The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) and its contracted nonprofit service providers deploy different types of street outreach teams that make initial contact and maintain ongoing engagement with people living on the streets. Some specialize in working with certain populations, such as youth or veterans.

Coordinated Entry System (CES) works to connect people with particularly acute needs to housing and supportive services while Homeless Engagement Teams (HET) respond to requests made by members of the public through the LA Homeless Outreach Portal or LA-HOP. Meanwhile, LAHSA Homeless Outreach Services Teams (HOST) handle outreach at larger encampments and hard-to-reach areas, and work with the Sheriff’s Department’s own HOST team and other cities’ law enforcement agencies.