Editorial: Think twice before breaking up the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority
1 week, 1 day ago

Editorial: Think twice before breaking up the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority

LA Times  

Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman, left, now former City Council member Paul Krekorian and LAHSA Chief Executive Va Lecia Adams Kellum kick off the first night of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s 2024 homeless count in North Hollywood on Jan. 23. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority is the closest the city and county have had to an overarching authority. 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. 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.

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History of this topic

Letters to the Editor: These problems will always prevent L.A. from solving homelessness
3 days, 7 hours ago

Letters to the Editor: These problems will always prevent L.A. from solving homelessness

LA Times  

To the editor: Both the city and county of Los Angeles are considering breaking up the L.A. According to LAHSA, the number of people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County declined by 0.27% in 2024 compared to 2023. Nationally, for every 100 people who exited homelessness in 2024, another 118 entered into homelessness, according to the federal government. So the …

A radical reshaping of L.A. County’s homeless services system is proposed
1 month, 2 weeks ago

A radical reshaping of L.A. County’s homeless services system is proposed

LA Times  

Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian, from right, and L.A. County Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Kathryn Barger join other volunteers to count the homeless in North Hollywood on Jan. 23. Responding to long-standing dissatisfaction over the effectiveness of homelessness programs, Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Kathryn Barger are proposing a new county department that would take over hundreds of millions …

L.A. County homeless tax ahead in early returns. Voters deadlocked on enlarging board of supes
2 months ago

L.A. County homeless tax ahead in early returns. Voters deadlocked on enlarging board of supes

LA Times  

L.A. County voters will decide the fate of Measure A, which would double the quarter-cent sales tax voters approved in 2017 for homeless services. A ballot measure aimed at enlarging the pot of money available for homeless services in Los Angeles County was ahead in early returns Tuesday night, while voters were deadlocked on another measure expanding the county Board …

Gov. Newsom joins local officials in unveiling a new round of homeless funding
2 months, 1 week ago

Gov. Newsom joins local officials in unveiling a new round of homeless funding

LA Times  

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, right, joins California Gov. Gavin Newsom at a press conference at the Downtown Women’s Center to announce new state funding to confront the homelessness crisis in Los Angeles. Gavin Newsom came to Skid Row Tuesday to announce new state funding that will bring $380 million to the Los Angeles region for homeless housing, shelter, rental …

Editorial: Cities in L.A. County shouldn’t race to criminalize homelessness after Grants Pass ruling
6 months ago

Editorial: Cities in L.A. County shouldn’t race to criminalize homelessness after Grants Pass ruling

LA Times  

Homeless advocates take part in the “Housing Not Handcuffs” rally organized by the National Homelessness Law Center during oral arguments in Grants Pass vs. Johnson at the Supreme Court on April 22 in Washington. Within hours of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Grants Pass vs. Johnson last week allowing cities and counties to criminalize homelessness, Los Angeles City Councilmember Traci …

Number of homeless residents in Los Angeles County decreases in annual count
6 months, 1 week ago

Number of homeless residents in Los Angeles County decreases in annual count

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — The number of homeless residents counted in Los Angeles County has dipped slightly, decreasing by about 0.3% since last year as California continues to struggle with the long-running crisis of tens of thousands of people sleeping in cars and encampments. Results released Friday from a federally required tally conducted in January found 75,312 people were homeless on …

Va Lecia Adams Kellum: Persistent agent of change on homelessness
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Va Lecia Adams Kellum: Persistent agent of change on homelessness

LA Times  

Va Lecia Adams Kellum, photographed at the Los Angeles Times in El Segundo on Sept. 8. Va Lecia Adams Kellum, then the president and chief executive of Venice-based St. Joseph Center, secured beds in nearby motels and flooded the beachfront with case workers. After helping shape that program as a member of Bass’ transition team, Adams Kellum, 58, took on …

Editorial: Here’s how Los Angeles can help prevent people from falling into homelessness
10 months, 4 weeks ago

Editorial: Here’s how Los Angeles can help prevent people from falling into homelessness

LA Times  

Laura Ayala, left, signs up in January for an information seminar on tenants rights with Bianca Lopez, an outreach worker for We Are Los Angeles, a project of the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles. There’s no question that Los Angeles needs more permanent housing for people who are already homeless. But without more homelessness prevention, waves of people will continue …

Homeless numbers in Los Angeles could surge again, even as thousands move to temporary shelter
1 year ago

Homeless numbers in Los Angeles could surge again, even as thousands move to temporary shelter

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — In the hours after being elected mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass made a promise that will be an inescapable metric of her time in office: “We are going to solve homelessness.” The Democratic member of Congress, who had been on then-candidate Joe Biden’s short list for vice president, envisioned streets clear of more than 40,000 homeless …

Column: Is L.A. actually solving homelessness? The answer will start with perception, not reality
1 year ago

Column: Is L.A. actually solving homelessness? The answer will start with perception, not reality

LA Times  

Mayor Karen Bass, accompanied by HUD official Richard J. Monocchio, left, and City Councilmembers Nithya Raman, far left, Hugo Soto-Martinez and Bob Blumenfield, speak to reporters in Hollywood on Wednesday. “I do really worry that it’s become normalized in public discourse to speak about people experiencing homelessness as, like, a problem for those who are not homeless — as opposed …

LAHSA leader marks her first 100 days by unveiling a new homeless center in South L.A.
1 year, 5 months ago

LAHSA leader marks her first 100 days by unveiling a new homeless center in South L.A.

LA Times  

Va Lecia Adams Kellum, chief executive officer of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, left, speaks at a news conference last year. After 100 days leading the agency at the forefront of solving Los Angeles County’s homelessness crisis, Va Lecia Adams Kellum touted a new pilot program as representative of her collaborative approach. The 24,000-square-foot Welcome Navigation Center, operated by …

Number of homeless residents in Los Angeles County jumps by 9% in annual count
1 year, 6 months ago

Number of homeless residents in Los Angeles County jumps by 9% in annual count

Associated Press  

The number of homeless residents counted in Los Angeles County has spiked again, increasing by 9% since last year in the latest marker of how deep the crisis is of people sleeping in cars, encampments or shelters in California. Results released Thursday from a federally required tally conducted in January found 75,518 people were homeless on any given night across …

Number of homeless residents in Los Angeles County jumps by 9% in annual count
1 year, 6 months ago

Number of homeless residents in Los Angeles County jumps by 9% in annual count

The Independent  

Get Nadine White's Race Report newsletter for a fresh perspective on the week's news Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The number of homeless residents counted in Los …

L.A. mayor reports that 14,000 homeless people have moved off the streets
1 year, 6 months ago

L.A. mayor reports that 14,000 homeless people have moved off the streets

LA Times  

Tierra Signer waits with her belongings, to get housing under Inside Safe program, along 400 S. San Vicente Boulevard. More than 14,000 people experiencing homelessness have been moved off the streets during the first six months of her administration, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass reported Tuesday. Bass said the housing placements resulted from executive directives she enacted upon entering office, …

L.A. County homeless services workers can’t afford housing themselves, study finds
1 year, 7 months ago

L.A. County homeless services workers can’t afford housing themselves, study finds

LA Times  

Homeless outreach workers and Los Angeles city staff speak with Christopher Given, 39, left, who is homeless and lives in a tent along the Los Angeles River. Front line workers essential to solving Los Angeles County’s homelessness crisis do not make enough money to afford housing themselves, leading to burnout and high turnover, a new report has found. Christine Margiotta, …

L.A. County asks appeals court to dismiss long-running homelessness lawsuit
1 year, 7 months ago

L.A. County asks appeals court to dismiss long-running homelessness lawsuit

LA Times  

Los Angeles County has asked a federal appeals court to put an end to a years-long lawsuit over the government response to the homelessness crisis, arguing that the judge overseeing the case abused his power and overstepped his authority. California Judge rejects L.A. County’s revamped homeless settlement For a second time, a federal judge refuses to sign off on a …

Los Angeles County leaders announce revamped homeless settlement
1 year, 8 months ago

Los Angeles County leaders announce revamped homeless settlement

LA Times  

Dr. Shayan Rab, left, a street psychiatrist with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health who leads the Homeless Outreach and Mobile Engagement team, and Karla Bennett, mental health clinical supervisor with HOME, check in with client Juan Luna, who is homeless in downtown Los Angeles, in 2022. Months after a judge shot down their first attempt, Los Angeles …

Va Lecia Adams Kellum appointed new head of L.A. city-county homelessness agency
1 year, 11 months ago

Va Lecia Adams Kellum appointed new head of L.A. city-county homelessness agency

LA Times  

The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s new chief executive is no stranger to the often contentious and closely watched efforts to remove tents from public spaces and get homeless people indoors. Adams Kellum’s appointment was approved by the agency’s board of commissioners, which is made up of people appointed by elected officials from the city and county. Each of us …

Five ways you can use Shape Your L.A., The Times’ civic engagement tool
1 year, 11 months ago

Five ways you can use Shape Your L.A., The Times’ civic engagement tool

LA Times  

Sanitation workers get the job done in this illustration from Shape Your L.A., which can show you how to report illegal dumping in your city. Report that pothole or abandoned couch No matter where you live in L.A. County, you’ve no doubt contended with illegally dumped furniture or axle-breaking potholes. Larger departments, including the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department and the …

L.A. County Board of Supervisors votes to create super agency on homelessness
2 years, 8 months ago

L.A. County Board of Supervisors votes to create super agency on homelessness

LA Times  

County supervisors voted 3-2 to revamp efforts on homelessness. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to create a new office or department that would coordinate the county’s response to the homelessness crisis in the region. “We now have a path forward.” The changes would give county agencies and cities access to the Homeless Management Information System, a …

L.A. says it can’t take care of its sickest and most vulnerable. The county isn’t buying it
2 years, 8 months ago

L.A. says it can’t take care of its sickest and most vulnerable. The county isn’t buying it

LA Times  

Earlier this month, with much fanfare, Los Angeles officials announced a partial settlement of a 2-year-old federal lawsuit over homelessness. Housing is largely the city’s purview, while services are the county’s, Maceri said, adding, “If we cannot bring those two things together in a meaningful strategic way, we’re never going to have the kind of impact we need.” The tentative …

L.A. will shelter more homeless people to end major lawsuit. But how many?
2 years, 9 months ago

L.A. will shelter more homeless people to end major lawsuit. But how many?

LA Times  

Los Angeles has agreed to build potentially thousands of new beds and housing units under the terms of a legal settlement announced Friday, apparently bringing to an end a key portion of a contentious, long-running federal lawsuit over homeless housing and enforcement on skid row and across the city. L.A. Alliance for Human Rights attorney Elizabeth Mitchell, left, and L.A. …

County commission backs creating a leadership post on homelessness
2 years, 9 months ago

County commission backs creating a leadership post on homelessness

LA Times  

An unhoused resident of Toriumi Plaza in Little Tokyo starts to pack up his belongs as the city of Los Angeles clears the homeless encampment March 17 in Los Angeles. A commission appointed by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to examine how to improve homeless services is proposing the creation of a new position to oversee all county …

Mark Ridley-Thomas led L.A. homeless policies. Now what?
3 years, 2 months ago

Mark Ridley-Thomas led L.A. homeless policies. Now what?

LA Times  

Mark Ridley-Thomas faces a federal corruption indictment that threatens his legacy as the political leader who carried the cause of homeless people on his shoulders. “I saw him trying to moderate those enforcement forces using his experience and willingness to understand what homeless people are going through, and not just what his constituents are yelling about,” said Greg Spiegel, director …

L.A.’s homeless agency faces calls to dissolve ties with police
4 years, 6 months ago

L.A.’s homeless agency faces calls to dissolve ties with police

LA Times  

As protests roiled Los Angeles, the head of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority was spurred to speak out after seeing a gruesome image of a homeless man bleeding from his eye — an injury allegedly caused by a round fired by police. “So to the extent that that is unavoidable,” Marston said, “we want our partnerships with those entities …

Lawsuit seeks to require LA to provide beds for homeless
4 years, 9 months ago

Lawsuit seeks to require LA to provide beds for homeless

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — A federal lawsuit filed Tuesday seeks to force Los Angeles officials to provide thousands of shelter beds in an effort to stem what it described as the unfolding “human tragedy” of people living in squalor on the streets. A 2019 count by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority reported that there were close to 60,000 homeless people …

L.A. officials are getting serious about overhauling this top homeless services agency
4 years, 10 months ago

L.A. officials are getting serious about overhauling this top homeless services agency

LA Times  

Given its name, it’s not surprising that many view the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority as a one-stop shop for solving the county’s homelessness crisis. “Is this the best system?” asked Miguel Santana, the former Los Angeles City administrative officer who crafted the city’s homeless plan. That board was created in 2017 by the 56-member Los Angeles Regional Homeless Advisory …

Leader of L.A.’s top homeless agency quits after a ‘long five years,’ rising public anger
5 years, 1 month ago

Leader of L.A.’s top homeless agency quits after a ‘long five years,’ rising public anger

LA Times  

In a major change for the team tasked with addressing rising homelessness in the region, Peter Lynn announced Monday that he is stepping down as head of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. Stephanie Klasky-Gamer, head of LA Family Housing, said Lynn was in a “really challenging position.” Stephanie Klasky-Gamer, president and chief executive of LA Family Housing, a services …

Column: As L.A.’s homeless crisis worsens, no one is in charge. That has to change
5 years, 1 month ago

Column: As L.A.’s homeless crisis worsens, no one is in charge. That has to change

LA Times  

I could give you a hundred reasons homelessness has become L.A. County’s most vexing challenge, from the gargantuan income gap to housing costs to the scourge of drugs and mental illness, but the biggest impediment to solving it may be this: Nobody is in charge. Sarah Dusseault, chair of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority commission, told me Tuesday that …

Majority says police should do more to clean L.A. streets clogged with homeless camps, Times poll finds
5 years, 1 month ago

Majority says police should do more to clean L.A. streets clogged with homeless camps, Times poll finds

LA Times  

With tens of thousands of people sleeping outside every night in L.A. County, one of the most contentious debates is over what to do about homeless encampments and who should do it. In total, 65% of respondents agreed that police should be more involved in cleaning up the streets “in order to address the health crisis that is mounting due …

L.A. is getting millions in state money for homelessness. Now L.A. politicians want more
5 years, 6 months ago

L.A. is getting millions in state money for homelessness. Now L.A. politicians want more

LA Times  

California lawmakers agreed this month to hand over $650 million to big cities, counties and regional agencies to help fight homelessness. At a news conference Wednesday, City Councilman Mitch O’Farrell urged the state to match the $1.2-billion bond measure that L.A. voters approved in 2016 to build homeless housing, contending that the additional money could be pulled from the state’s …

Homelessness isn’t huge in this part of L.A. — but it’s a huge campaign issue
5 years, 8 months ago

Homelessness isn’t huge in this part of L.A. — but it’s a huge campaign issue

LA Times  

Donna Nycz, 62, carries some of her belongings after being ordered out of an encampment east of De Soto Avenue along the Metrolink route in Chatsworth last month. “We’re letting this homeless issue overwhelm the citizens that want a clean, safe environment.” Residents listen to Los Angeles City Council candidates at a forum at Temple Ahavat Shalom in Porter Ranch …

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