LA County Homeless Initiative | Meetings Scheduled to Update Strategies

The Los Angeles County Homeless Initiative developed 51 strategies in 2016 to address and prevent homelessness. When voters approved Measure H in 2017, it dramatically increased funding for those strategies and expanded the County’s homeless services system.

Unfortunately, while an estimated 207 people exit homelessness every day, 277 more people fall into homelessness during the same period for various reasons, including the shortage of affordable housing, lack of a safety net, racial disparities, and economic forces, lately exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Board of Supervisors has called for a reassessment of the Homeless Initiative strategies so that the County can double down on proven solutions, make necessary modifications, and develop new approaches.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

We want to hear from community members, service providers, business owners, faith groups, and more – all voices are essential to update our Homeless Initiative strategies to reflect the priorities of our constituents.

Below is the full schedule of meetings. Countywide strategies will be discussed at all the meetings, but the unique isues of each Service Planning Area (SPA) will also be addressed.

• South Bay/Harbor Cities (SPA 8) – Wed, Sep 22, 2021, 10:00 AM

• San Fernando Valley (SPA 2) – Wed, Sep 22, 2021, 3:00 PM

• East LA (SPA 7) – Thu, Sep 23, 2021, 1:00 PM

• Metro LA (SPA 4) – Tue, October 5, 2021, 3:00 PM

• South LA (SPA 6) – Fri, October 8, 2021, 2:00 PM

• San Gabriel Valley (SPA 3) – Wed, October 13, 2021, 9:00 AM

• Antelope Valley (SPA 1) – Wed, October 20, 2021, 3:00 PM

• West LA (SPA 5) – Thu, October 21, 2021, 9:00 AM

If you cannot attend a meeting, you will have the option to fill out an online form with your recommendations.

LEARN MORE

In the last four years alone, the County’s homeless services system has helped 70,000 people obtain permanent housing and 95,000 people obtain temporary shelter, with Measure H-funded programs accounting for 40% and 60% of those placements, respectively.

Check out the Homeless Initiative’s latest Quarterly Report to learn more about current efforts to:

• outreach to people in encampments;

• provide supportive services to help people stabilize and get on the path to self-sufficiency, including health and mental health care; substance abuse treatments; criminal record clearing; benefits enrollment; and job training and employment opportunities;

• place people in interim housing, such as shelters, until permanent housing can be found for them;

• place people in permanent housing; and

• prevent people from becoming homeless in the first place.

More information is available on our website and Facebook page.