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County Supervisors Could Revamp LA’s Top Homelessness Agency
A homeless man sleeps on a bus bench on a hot day in downtown Los Angeles. (Chava Sanchez/ LAist)
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Last year was rough for L.A.'s Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), with homeless numbers going up, not down. Today the L.A. County Board of Supervisors is stepping in, and will vote on a proposal to re-evaluate and potentially restructure the embattled agency.
A number of issues have caused concerns, including
- Homelessness in the county went up by 12% last year
- An official audit found that LAHSA was missing its outreach goals in the city of L.A.
- LAHSA’s director, Peter Lynn stepped down in December.
Created in 1993, LAHSA coordinates and manages funding for homelessness in the city and county. But it doesn't directly provide shelter, housing or services for homeless people.
The city of Los Angeles is also reassessing its approach to tackling homelessness, including LAHSA.
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The motion by County Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Hilda Solis would give LAHSA a week to work with county agencies to identify the barriers to placing homeless people in permanent housing — and to offer potential solutions. LAHSA would have two months to offer bigger, structural changes to its governance.
The L.A. County Board of Supervisor's meeting starts at 9:30 a.m.
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