The Brief

Los Angeles County is planning to shift more than $300 million in funding away from the regional homeless services agency and toward the county’s first-ever homelessness department.

The blueprint for the new department is an existing county effort known as Housing for Health, which attempts to provide homes and support to people with serious physical or behavioral conditions.

The idea is that once a person has a stable living environment, most other aspects of their lives can become more stable as well, including health.

"From the beginning at Housing for Health, we really have tried to center the people we're serving,” said Housing for Health Director Sarah Mahin. “We will walk alongside someone for as long as it takes to help bring them inside.”

And it’s been successful, county authorities say.

Of the 1,100 clients who left shelters through the Housing for Health program last year, 37% landed in permanent housing, according to the county. By comparison, 29% of those who left shelters within the county’s broader network ended up housed, according to regional data.

Citing problems with transparency and oversight, L.A. County voted earlier this month to pull its funding out of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. A series of audits found that LAHSA, which is funded by both the city and county of Los Angeles, had improperly accounted for billions in taxpayer dollars.

Those findings prompted a federal fraud investigation, launched last week.

What the supervisors say

When the Board of Supervisors voted to create a new homelessness department within the county government, they stressed that they wanted it grounded in the idea that housing was key to a person’s overall well-being.

“I want to be clear that this is not more government, it is better government,” said Supervisor Lindsey Horvath at a board meeting this month. “And the gold standard exists right here in the county's Department of Health Services. It's called Housing for Health.”

Horvath led the effort to pull county funding from LAHSA.

“The status quo needs to change,” she said. “When seven people a day die on our streets in Los Angeles County, our need is urgent.”

Supervisor Holly Mitchell, who abstained from the vote to pull out of LAHSA, said she wanted more evidence that a new department would be more effective and accountable.

“I just want us as a policymaking body to make sure that we are using every tool in our toolkit to make sure that what we've created is better than what we're trying to move away from,” Mitchell said.

A homeless person walks by a closed business in Santa Monica.

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Valerie Macon

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AFP via Getty Images

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Bringing people inside

There are more than 75,000 people experiencing homelessness across L.A. County, according to last year’s point-in-time count. The county now has billions in funds from state, federal and local sources that it’s using to address the crisis, including an influx of new sales tax dollars flowing in under Measure A, approved by voters in November.

Housing for Health began in 2012 as a “prescription for housing” for people known to make frequent trips to county-run hospitals for all their healthcare needs. The initial goal was to cut down on costly emergency room visits.

The program expanded in 2017 because of federal dollars from Medi-Cal and county dollars from voter-approved Measure H.

Last year, Housing for Health served 57,000 people with a budget of $875 million and more than 600 staff. Working with various service providers, the program operated 3,200 temporary housing beds and placed nearly 5,000 people into permanent supportive housing, according to the county.

When it comes to housing placement, the program’s performance last year is comparable to L.A. Mayor Karen Bass' Inside Safe, which has also placed 37% of clients who left interim housing into permanent homes since it launched in 2022, according to the city.

Housing authorities also say Housing for Health has shown some success at getting people who have been living on the street into housing after its outreach teams make initial contact. In 2024, the teams connected 6% of people they contacted with housing.

That compares with 2.5% in outreach programs across the region, according to LAHSA.

Many of those programs do not include clinicians — medical professionals who can assess health needs and refer patients to doctors for further treatment.

Fostering a ‘culture of care’

Housing for Health provides homeless services across a spectrum, from prevention to permanent housing.

Its prevention unit has a 90% success rate at keeping clients housed, and 94% of its permanent housing residents remain housed after one year, according to the Department of Health Services.

LAist asked for data it could use to compare those rates to other programs, but LAHSA did not provide it.

Gary Blasi, a retired UCLA law professor who has tracked homelessness policy for more than 40 years, said Housing for Health has a strong “culture of care,” meaning its staff are willing to meet people where they are.

“That’s different from a lot of the so-called human services parts of the county that are really about managing people rather than caring for them,” he said.

Ferrino Norris has experienced that approach firsthand. He said a Housing for Health social worker helped him get medication for bipolar disorder a few years ago.

“He's always supportive to everybody here," Norris said. "He's got a good attitude, personality, everything. He's ... awesome.”

The Star Apartments in Skid Row house more than 100 people with health needs. Housing for Health's offices and flagship clinic are on the ground floor.

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Aaron Schrank

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LAist

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Nearly a quarter of all homeless residents in L.A. County have serious mental illness, and 27% have a substance use disorder, according to data from the 2024 Homeless Point-In-Time Count.

In 2022, UC San Francisco conducted a massive statewide survey of people experiencing homelessness and found that 60% of participants reported having at least one chronic health condition.

Studies show that moving chronically homeless people into permanent supportive housing significantly reduces costs associated with them living on the street.

A 2017 RAND Corporation study found that Housing for Health's permanent supportive housing program saved the county 20% in costs because of fewer hospital visits and jail stays. The average cost per person decreased from about $38,000 in the year before they received housing to $15,000 in the year after.

However, researchers caution against focusing solely on savings. This kind of housing, with intensive case management and medical support, is expensive, and many clients are housed for the rest of their lives.

The RAND study didn’t look at long-term costs.

“The cost will escalate over time,” said RAND researcher Sarah Hunter, who led the study. “You don't always find huge cost savings from these programs. They're more likely to be sort of cost neutral, but you are addressing chronic homelessness, and that's what they were designed to do.”

Accountability and transparency

County supervisors say the feedback they’ve received from service providers is mostly positive. They described Housing for Health’s contracting and accounting practices as “scrupulous” and “hands-on.”

Other observers agreed.

"They follow their protocols very strictly," said Blasi. "If you don't have notes to prove that you provided those services, you're going to have to explain that. I don't think that happens with most of the contractors for the other government agencies.”

A recent audit revealed LAHSA does not monitor its contracts with service providers while those contracts are in effect. In contrast, Housing for Health actively manages each of its service contracts and reviews data continuously, said Mahin, director of Housing for Health.

“We're not just doing it annually,” she said. “We’re doing it every day. We're also on the ground with our providers. We go to their sites and see how things are operating.”

She said providers are required to document every service they provide.

“If they're not providing the minimum level of service, we actually do contractor discrepancy reports and we will recoup payments if they haven't provided the minimum level of service that we expect,” Mahin said.

An apartment building in Pomona leases through the Housing for Health program.

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Matt Tinoco

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LAist

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The road ahead

The new county homelessness department is expected to be fully operational by summer 2026.

L.A. County officials are executing a risky transition: overhauling the entire homeless service delivery system without interrupting critical services. The new department is expected to have double the staff and budget as Housing for Health and will take on many of the responsibilities that LAHSA currently handles.

“It's a monumental administrative and bureaucratic system that they are inheriting,” said Blasi. “A lot of it is not healthcare. There's no reason for administrators in [Department of Health Services] to know anything about monitoring things that have nothing to do with healthcare.”

Some L.A. city leaders, while supportive of Housing for Health, remain skeptical of the county’s move away from LAHSA and toward an entirely new county department.

“What I fear most is that we are moving the money from one bureaucracy to another,” said L.A. City Councilmember Nithya Raman.

The new funding pouring into the county’s coffers through Measure A comes with requirements that the homeless services sector work towards specific goals and allows residents to track progress. The new department will be responsible for that.

“We’re always looking at how we can do things better,” Mahin said. “We don't pretend that we have the answers for everything, or that our system is perfect.”

She continued: “I think this is an exciting step for the county, but it's not a silver bullet.”

LAist reporter Nick Gerda contributed to this report.

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Since 1977, Richard Santillan has been to every Opening Day game at Dodger Stadium. 

“The tradition goes from my father, to me, to my children and grandchildren. Some of my best memories are with my father and children here at Dodger Stadium,” Santillan told The LA Local, smiling under the shade of palm trees near the entrance to the ballpark Wednesday morning. He was there to protest the team less than 24 hours before Opening Day.

Santillan, like countless other loyal Dodgers fans, is grappling with his fan identity over the team’s decision to accept an invitation to the White House and owner Mark Walter’s ties to ICE detention facilities.

More than 30 people joined Santillan on Wednesday morning for a press conference held near 1000 Vin Scully Drive to convey a message directly to the team. 

“We are demanding the Dodgers stop participating in funding of inhumane treatment of families and do not go to the White House to celebrate with the criminal in chief,” Evelyn Escatiola told the crowd. “Together, we have the power to make a change.”

Escatiola, a former dean of East Los Angeles College and longtime community organizer, urged fans to flex their economic power by “letting the Dodgers know that we do not support repression.”

Jorge “Coqui” Rodriguez, a lifelong Dodgers fan, spoke to the crowd and called on Dodgers ownership to divest from immigration detention centers owned and operated by GEO Group and CoreCivic.

Jorge Coqui H Rodriguez speaks at a press conference outside Dodger Stadium on March 25, 2026, to demand the Dodgers not to visit the White House following their 2025 World Series win.

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J.W. Hendricks

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The LA Local

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In a phone interview a day before the protest, Rodriguez told The LA Local he did not want the Dodgers using his “cheve” or beer money to fund detention centers. 

“They can’t take our parking money, our cacahuate money, our cheve money, our Dodger Dog money and invest those funds into corporations that are imprisoning people. It’s wrong,” Rodriguez said. 

Rodriguez considers the Dodgers one of the most racially diverse teams and said the players need to support fans at a time when heightened immigration enforcement has become more common across L.A.

The team’s 2025’s visit to the White House drew ire from the largely Latino fan base, citing the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on immigrants. 

In June, the team came under further scrutiny when rumors swirled online that federal immigration agents were using the stadium’s parking, which immigration authorities later denied in statements posted on social media accounts.

The team again came under fire after not releasing a statement on the impacts of ICE raids on its mostly Latino fan base at the height of immigration enforcement last summer. The team later agreed to invest $1 million to support families affected by immigration enforcement.

When he learned the Dodgers were pledging only $1 million to families in need, Rodriguez called the amount a  “slap in the face.” 

“These guys just bought the Lakers for billions of dollars and they give a million dollars to fight for legal services? That’s a joke,” Rodriguez said. “They need to have a moral backbone and not be investing in those companies.”

According to reporting from the Los Angeles Times, former Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershawsaid last week that he is looking forward to the trip.

“I went when President [Joe] Biden was in office. I’m going to go when President [Donald] Trump is in office,” Kershaw said. “To me, it’s just about getting to go to the White House. You don’t get that opportunity every day, so I’m excited to go.”

The Dodgers have yet to announce when their planned visit will take place. 

Santillan sometimes laments his decision to give up his season tickets in protest of the team. His connection to the stadium and the memories he has made there with family and friends will last a lifetime, he said. On Thursday, he will uphold his tradition and be there for the first pitch of the season, but with a heavy heart.

“It’s a family tradition, but the Dodgers have a lot of work to do,” he said.

A local favorite mom-and-pop bookshop in Eagle Rock is facing displacement due to a steep rent hike. The owners say theirs is just one of several small businesses along Eagle Rock Boulevard struggling to keep up with lease increases.

Over the past 19 years, many in the neighborhood have come to love READ Books for its eclectic collection of used titles and shop dog Florence.

Co-owner Jeremy Kaplan said it’s been a delight to grow with the community over the years.

“Like seeing kids come back in, who were in grade school and now they’re in college,” Kaplan said.

But the building where Kaplan and wife Debbie rent was recently sold, and the rent increased by more than 130% to $2,805 a month, Kaplan said. He told LAist it was an increase his small business simply could not absorb.

Kaplan said he originally was given 30 days notice of the rent increase. After some research, assistance from Councilmember Ysabel Jurado’s office and some pro-bono legal help, Kaplan said he pushed back and got the 90-day notice he’s afforded by state law.

California Senate Bill 1103 requires landlords to give businesses with five or less employees 90 days’ notice for rent increases exceeding 10%, among other protections.

Systems Real Estate, the property management company, did not immediately respond to LAist’s request for comment.

What can small businesses do? 

Nadia Segura, directing attorney of the Small Business Program at pro bono legal aid non-profit Bet Tzedek said California law does not currently allow for rent control for commercial tenancies.

Outside of the protections under SB 1103, Segura said small businesses like READ Books don’t have much other recourse. And even then, commercial landlords are not required to inform their tenants of their protections under the law.

“There’s still a lot of people that don’t know about SB 1103. And then it’s very sad that they tell them they have these rent increases and within a month they have to leave,” Segura said.

She said her group is seeing steep rent hikes like this for commercial tenants across the city.

“We are seeing this even more with the World Cup coming up, the Olympics coming up. And I will say it was very sad to see that also after the wildfires,” Segura said.

Part of Bet Tzedek’s ongoing work is to advocate for small businesses, working with landlords who are increasing rents to see if they are willing to give business owners longer leases that lock in rents.

What’s next 

After READ Books posted about their situation on social media, commenters chimed in to express their outrage and love for the little shop.

While he looks for a new spot, Kaplan says he’s forming a coalition of local businesses and activist groups to see what can be done to help other small businesses facing similar displacement. He wants to address the displacement issue for businesses like his, which have made Eagle Rock the distinctive neighborhood that it is today.

Owl Talk, a longtime Eagle Rock staple selling clothing and accessories in a unit in the same building as READ Books, is facing a “more than double” rent increase, according to a post on their Instagram account.

Kaplan said he’s been in touch with the office of state Assemblywoman Jessica Caloza and wants to explore the possibility of introducing legislation to set up protections for small businesses like his, including rent-control measures or a vacancy tax for landlords. Kaplan said he also reached out to the office of state Sen. Maria Durazo.

By his count, Kaplan said there are about a dozen businesses within surrounding blocks that are at risk of closing their doors or have shuttered due to rent increases or other struggles.

When READ Books was founded during the Great Recession, Kaplan said he knew it was a longshot to open a bookstore at the same time so many were struggling to stay in business.

“It was kind of interesting to be doing something that neighborhoods needed. That was important to me growing up, that was important to my children, that was important to my wife growing up,” Kaplan said.

“And then somebody comes in and says, ‘We’re gonna over double your rent.”

Topline:

Frozen budget: Most of the city’s Bureau of Street Lighting budget comes from an assessment that people who own property illuminated by lights pay on their county property tax bill. The amount people pay depends on the kind of property they own and how much they benefit from lighting. A typical single-family home currently pays $53 annually, and in total, the assessments bring in about $45 million annually for the city to repair and maintain streetlights. Changing the amount the Bureau of Street Lighting gets from the assessment requires a vote among property owners who benefit from the lights.

Ballots: L.A. City Council’s vote gives city staff the green light to prepare and send out those ballots. Miguel Sangalang, who oversees the bureau, said at a committee meeting earlier this month that he expects to send out ballots by April 17. Notices about the ballots will be sent out prior to the ballots themselves.

Near unanimous vote: L.A. City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez was the only “No” vote Tuesday, saying she wanted to see a more current strategic plan for the bureau. Sangalang said the bureau developed a plan in 2022 that lays out how money will be spent. Councilmember Imelda Padilla was absent for the vote.

Vote count: Votes will be weighted according to the assessment amount. Basically, the more you’re asked to pay yearly to maintain streetlights, the more your vote will count. Ballots received before June 2 will be tabulated by the L.A. City Clerk.

How much more money: According to a report, the amount needed in assessments from property owners to meet the repair and maintenance needs of the city’s streetlighting in the next fiscal year is nearly $112 million.

Use of the money: Sangalang said at a March 11 committee meeting that the extra funds would be used to double the number of staff to handle repairs and procure solar streetlights, which don’t face the threat of copper wire theft. That would all potentially reduce the time it takes to repair simple fixes down to a week. Currently, city residents wait for months to see broken streetlights repaired. The assessment would come with a three-year auditing mechanism.