County to lead fight against homelessness

Wave Wire Services

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County will take control of key administrative functions for the region’s homelessness programs — a decision made Oct. 13 amid immense scrutiny of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority over alleged mismanagement and misuse of taxpayer dollars.

On a 331-9 vote, the Los Angeles Continuum of Care general membership designated the county, led by the Department of Homeless Services and Housing, as the collaborative applicant and to oversee the annual point-in-time homelessness count.

While the county has been designated as the collaborative applicant, a final determination is expected to be made on Oct. 27 during a federal court status conference — the same day a preliminary injunction is set to expire over the homeless authority’s suspension of access to federal dollars.

Ben Kay, co-chair of the Continuum of Care Board, said.the court is going to hold a status conference to determine the next steps regarding the homeless authority, the Continuum of Care and transition plans.

The L.A. Continuum of Care is expected to report to a federal judge about the process and outcome to replace the homeless authority as the collaborative applicant.

Sarah Mahin, the director of the county’s Department of Homeless Services and Housing, emphasized the vote came during a tumultuous time for the L.A. region, where the Continuum of Care actions could impact the ability to accept hundreds of millions of federal dollars and support more than 11,000 people with housing services.

“[Homeless Services and Housing] applied because we have the capacity and the expertise to do the job, and we are committed to a collaborative, transparent, accountable and fully regionable homeless response system,” Mahin said.

“There are many who would like to divide us. Today’s decision is an opportunity to affirm our right to self-determination and our shared commitment to a unified region. We are stronger together.”

The L.A. Continuum of Care — a collaborative body consisting of the homeless authority, cities, the county, service providers and other entities — is responsible for coordinating regional homelessness programs and federal funding. It excludes Long Beach, Glendale and Pasadena, which have their own distinct consortiums of care.

“Per congressional mandate, stewardship of federal resources to end homeless in L.A. — and oversight of the systems needed to accomplish that — rests in the hands of the collaborative body brought together to shepherd these resources,” Kay said.

General membership of the L.A. Continuum of Care has the authority to designate entities to oversee administrative functions for the region, which includes managing homelessness data, coordinating housing placements and overseeing applications for federal grants.

Kay emphasized that a “yes” vote to designate the county as the collaborative applicant would protect the L.A. Continuum of Care from a “management vacuum” when the federal funding suspension lifts on Oct. 27. He added it would protect the Continuum of Care’s fiscal year 2026 application for federal funding.

“A yes vote today would put us in the L.A. Continuum of Care in a strong negotiating position with the court, having recommended a clear successor to [the homeless authority] and responsible transition timelines that would ensure stability of the region,” Kay said.

The vote was originally scheduled for Oct. 9, but it was delayed because organizers were unprepared to accommodate a large crowd of people who wanted to weigh in on the issue.

Mayor Karen Bass and four City Council members criticized the Continuum of Care general membership for rescheduling the meeting, arguing that Angelenos were silenced by the delay.

Bass, City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Council members Ysabel Jurado, Tim McOsker and Imelda Padilla said the city should retain a role in decisions about homelessness programs and housing placements.

They said Los Angeles spends hundreds of millions of dollars on housing but does not have sufficient authority to determine who occupies those units.

“The city must be able to help the people on our own streets by placing them into the housing that we build and fund in order to solve the homelessness crisis,” they said in a statement.

Kay emphasized that the Oct. 13 vote was just to select a collaborative applicant. The L.A. Continuum of Care is expected to select an entity or entities to oversee the Homeless Management Information System and handling the coordinated entry system.

Historically, the responsibility has fallen onto the homeless authority, the joint city-county agency established in 1993. However, the homeless authority announced it would step down as region’s lead agency overseeing the homelessness response after the federal government suspended them from accessing funds in June.

The homeless authority has agreements with the city to manage programs and contracts through June 30, 2027.

In August, a Los Angeles federal judge blocked the federal government’s suspension, finding that the sudden loss of cash would jeopardize housing and services for more than 11,000 people across the region. U.S. District Judge David Carter’s partial preliminary injunction against the federal government allowed the homeless authority access to federal homelessness funding for fiscal year 2026.

On Sept. 24, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled to largely deny an appeal filed by the Trump administration over the preliminary injunction.

A panel of 9th Circuit judges held that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development failed to show a likelihood of success on the merits regarding its suspension of the homeless authority, noting that the timing of HUD’s action threatened to severely cripple the region’s ability to apply for critical federal resources.

“HUD stands by the lawfulness of its suspension,” a statement from the agency said. “The department will comply with the 9th Circuit’s temporary order, which was made in part due to the quickly approaching deadline for [Consortium of Care] applications. HUD looks forward to seeing the 9th Circuit’s full resolution on the merits.”