For the first time, Los Angeles County has one unified department dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness across the region.
Its goal is simple and urgent: move people into housing and provide the services they need while, in the process, building trust in the communities it serves.
By consolidating funding and services that were previously spread across multiple departments and entities, the County is making its response clearer, faster, and more accountable to residents and communities. The Homeless Initiative, launched in 2015 to coordinate countywide homelessness strategies, will join with Housing for Health, a former division within the Department of Health Services that operated an integrated continuum of care, from street outreach to permanent housing, along with case management, benefits advocacy, and clinical services. The new Department of Housing and Homelessness Services (HSH) combines the strengths of each entity, creating a stronger, consolidated platform to innovate, improve service delivery, and reach more people in need.
Recent regional efforts have shown results: unsheltered homelessness decreased two years in a row. That progress is worth recognizing, while also preparing for serious challenges ahead. The County faces a significant deficit next fiscal year due to losses in federal, state, and other one-time funding, a reduction in sales tax revenue, and rising costs. Federal policy changes also threaten homelessness and housing resources, Medicaid, and other safety net programs.
Amid these unprecedented challenges, HSH states it is prepared to do whatever it takes. The department is prioritizing housing, proven solutions, and vulnerable populations such as families with children, youth, and survivors of gender-based violence. It is also partnering with cities, unincorporated communities, and agencies including the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency (LACAHSA) to strengthen homelessness prevention, housing production and preservation, and the region’s overall response to homelessness.
County leaders say the creation of this new department offers an opportunity to work differently, more strategically, more collaboratively, and more effectively. HSH plans to confront economic realities directly, work closely with partners and the community, and continue seeking new partnerships and solutions. The department also emphasizes a focus on the dignity and needs of the people and communities it serves.
Los Angeles County residents care about one another and about people who are vulnerable. The County frames the work as a shared effort.
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