LA homeless agency to lay off 284 employees

Topline:

Why now: The changes at the public agency, known as LAHSA, come after the L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted last April to withdraw more than $300 million in annual funding for the agency.

The context: LAHSA interim CEO Gita O’Neill called the staffing changes a “necessary evolution," according to a news release announcing the move. “By narrowing our focus to macro-level governance, data management, and securing federal funding, we are stepping into our true role as a strategic architect of the region’s homelessness response system.” In December, a group of LAHSA employees wrote an open letter to the Board of Supervisors demanding they “ensure no County-funded worker is displaced.”

Hundreds of layoffs: The agency will send layoff notices to the 284 employees on April 30, according to the news release. Another 130 positions that are currently vacant will also be eliminated in the transition. Some of the layoffs may be avoided, a LAHSA spokesperson said in the news release, “depending on the final details of the City of Los Angeles budget.”

"I want to profoundly thank our staff for their unwavering dedication and hard work serving people experiencing homelessness across Los Angeles County," O’Neill said. "Our staff has been the driving force behind the historic reductions in street homelessness we've seen over the past two years.”