Leader of LA County's first homelessness department says 'accountability' is a priority

Officials have announced the new leader of the L.A. county's first-ever department on homelessness.

The Board of Supervisors has named Sarah Mahin, head of the county’s existing Housing for Health program, as inaugural director of the Department of Homeless Services and Housing.

The board officially appointed Mahin Tuesday after voting for her in closed session last week.

Mahin will help lead the county’s overhaul of the homeless services delivery system after officials moved to pull nearly $350 million in funding from the region's top homeless services agency, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, or LAHSA. The new department shifts those taxpayer dollars to the county’s direct oversight and control.

County supervisors say one of their goals with the new department is to increase transparency and accountability.

Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, who led the county’s move away from LAHSA along with Supervisor Kathryn Barger, said in a statement that Mahin is ready to hit the ground running.

“Sarah knows the County, she knows LAHSA, and she knows how to get things done,” Horvath said. “Sarah is a collaborative leader who will bring service providers and all of our city partners together in this vital effort."

What we know

Mahin is the director of Housing for Health, an existing county effort that is the model for the department she’ll be taking over. The program provides homes and support to people with serious physical or behavioral conditions. Last year, Housing for Health served 57,000 people with a budget of $875 million and more than 600 staff.

Mahin told LAist that creating the new department is a bold and exciting move that could help make processes easier for service providers and people seeking those services.

Sarah Mahin, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Homeless Services and Housing.

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Courtesy of L.A. County's Executive Office of the Board of Supervisors

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" We have the opportunity to really simplify things, really understand what's working well, and investing our resources in the things that are showing the greatest results," she said.

Mahin has more than 20 years of experience with housing and homelessness, according to county documents, including as the former director of policy and systems at LAHSA. Her responsibilities there included coordinating services across hundreds of organizations, as well as multiple city and county departments.

She previously worked with the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, leading programs and services focused on ending veteran homelessness in Southern California as regional coordinator of the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program, according to her resume.

Mahin said she has led with an approach of “doing whatever it takes, for as long as it takes,” a saying borrowed from the late Mollie Lowery, a well-known L.A. advocate for people experiencing homelessness and mental illness.

Mahin said she plans to carry that philosophy over to the new job.

“It's really not allowing administrative bureaucratic barriers to get in the way of ensuring that people have access to the healthcare, to the housing, to the social services that they need,” she said.

Mahin has a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Georgetown University.

She was selected after a month-long nationwide search that included input from county staff, residents and service providers.

And Mahin has a big job ahead of her.

She’ll be responsible for a range of responsibilities throughout the transition and beyond, including coming up with a strategic plan for the department, managing its budget and helping integrate staff and funding from LAHSA by next summer.

Her annual salary is listed as $375,000. For comparison, county supervisors are paid a little more than $232,000 a year.

What officials say

Barger said in a statement that she’s optimistic about the future of the county’s homelessness response with Mahin leading the new department and that she’s uniquely qualified to spearhead the effort from day one.

“Sarah’s forward-thinking strategies to address past system challenges and her ability to scale programs and forge cross-agency collaboration are aligned with my commitment to bold, accountable action,” Barger said. “This is the type of leadership we need to deliver results.”

Supervisor Hilda Solis said in a statement that she is confident Mahin
will "advance comprehensive, person-centered solutions to homelessness" and help strengthen partnerships with other cities across the county.

Horvath said Mahin is exactly who is needed for the job.

“Her deep experience with contract management, data integration, and creating a culture of innovation and progress will be instrumental in charting a new way forward for homeless services in LA County,” Horvath said in a statement.

Supervisor Janice Hahn said in a statement that Mahin will bring the knowledge, authority and grace the department needs.

“It’s time to tackle our homelessness crisis in a new way and I think Sarah has what it takes,” Hahn said.

LAist has reached out to Supervisor Holly Mitchell for comment.

How we got here

In April, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted to strip funding from LAHSA — jointly overseen by the city and county of L.A. since it was created in 1993 — to develop its own department on homelessness instead.

The change followed a series of harsh audits that highlighted major issues at the agency, including an inability to properly account for billions in taxpayer dollars and failing to track whether contracts were followed. Those findings also prompted a federal fraud investigation.

Hovarth has said moving away from LAHSA was necessary to fix a broken system and to make it more transparent and accountable.

“I want to be clear that this is not more government, it is better government,” she said at an April board meeting.

Mahin said accountability and transparency are top priorities. The new department will mirror some of the structure from Housing for Health, including closely managing contracts with service providers, for example.

“Every single month we go through our data and we make sure that those care plans are updated, that the assessments have been updated and that the minimum levels of services are delivered,” Mahin said. “And if they're not, we issue contractor discrepancy reports and we ultimately recoup the funds.”

What’s next

The Department of Homeless Services and Housing is expected to be officially established by the beginning of next year and fully operational by next July. It’ll help serve the more than 75,300 people experiencing homelessness across L.A. County, according to last year’s point-in-time count.

The department will combine the existing Housing for Health program and the Homeless Initiative, bringing county homeless services under one umbrella while taking on many of the responsibilities currently managed by LAHSA.

How to get involved

Mahin and county officials want your feedback.

The participation process “ will lay the groundwork for how we will be engaging with the community moving forward,” Mahin said. “We want input on not just how should we set up this department, but how do we keep on working together.”

You can submit questions and comments about the transition here and learn more about the process here.