The Ongoing Effort to End Homelessness in Los Angeles
The Current State of Homelessness in Los Angeles
In the city and county of Los Angeles, various agencies have different pieces of the jigsaw puzzle that comprise the effort to end homelessness, whether it’s mental health services, outreach, permanent housing, or interim housing. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) is the closest the city and county have had to an overarching authority. It was created as a joint city-county agency in 1993 to help the two governments stop fighting over who was responsible for which homelessness services.
The Evolution of LAHSA
LAHSA has grown in scope and responsibility over the years, with its duties expanding as homelessness and funding for services have grown. In addition to running the annual point-in-time homeless count, a vast three-day undertaking every January that marshals thousands of volunteers to scour nearly every census tract in Los Angeles County, LAHSA has become the conduit for almost all contracting of homelessness services. For example, if the city needs service providers for its publicly financed permanent housing projects, LAHSA confers with city officials on service goals, releases a request for proposals, chooses the service providers, and writes up the contracts.
The Controversy: Reorganizing LAHSA
The county wants to overhaul LAHSA, taking away its enormous contracting responsibilities and leaving it to maintain the homeless count, a homeless database, and an emergency shelter program. The Board of Supervisors passed a motion several weeks ago ordering a feasibility report and other analyses before going forward. Is it necessary to break apart LAHSA? Maybe not.
The Current State of Homelessness in Los Angeles
Although Los Angeles is far from solving homelessness, the numbers did go down in the city (by 2.2%) for the first time since 2018 — and the numbers were flat in the county. In contrast, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development just released numbers indicating that, nationwide, homelessness has gone up a staggering 18%. The city of Los Angeles was one of a number of cities where it didn’t go up — a testament, says LAHSA Chief Executive Va Lecia Adams Kellum, to the city and county working together.
Challenges and Controversies
There’s no question that LAHSA has gotten bigger over the years. As agencies doing homelessness work proliferated and dollars grew — particularly with the 2017 passage of the Measure H quarter-cent sales tax increase to fund homelessness programs — so did the amount of money LAHSA was granting. Currently, the agency has a budget of $875 million with about $717 million of that from federal, state, and local funds going to grants to service providers.
The Debate: Reorganizing or Reforming LAHSA
LAHSA does have its problems. A recent audit found that contractors were often paid late and not effectively monitored. Also, many providers who were given a total of $50 million in cash advances, starting in fiscal year 2017, have yet to pay the money back. However, Adams Kellum says that providers were given those dollars to shore up their ability to carry out their contracts as demand for services increased.
Conclusion
Before the supervisors make a final decision on the fate of LAHSA, they should consider whether they want to create a new funding agency or reform the current one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA)?
A: LAHSA is the closest the city and county have had to an overarching authority for homelessness services.
Q: What is LAHSA’s role in the homeless services system?
A: LAHSA is the conduit for almost all contracting of homelessness services, including providing grants to service providers.
Q: Why is LAHSA being reorganized?
A: The county wants to take away LAHSA’s enormous contracting responsibilities and leave it to maintain the homeless count, a homeless database, and an emergency shelter program.
Q: Is reorganizing LAHSA necessary?
A: Maybe not, as the agency has made changes to improve its services and accountability, and creation of a new agency could lead to bureaucracy and inefficiency.
