Combatting the Homelessness Crisis

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There’s widespread agreement that homelessness is one of the biggest problems confronting L.A. County. But, what’s the most effective solution and who’s responsible for solving it? As your community’s County Supervisor, I’d like to share my answers to those two very important (and often unaddressed) questions.

You may have heard that a lack of money and affordable housing are the main barriers we face in housing the homeless, but that doesn’t tell the full story. Effective efforts to fight homelessness must also address root causes including mental illness, substance abuse and addiction, economic distress, and failures in criminal justice and child welfare systems.

It would take tomes to fully discuss each of these solutions in depth, so I’ll focus on one of my top priorities. To make a dent in homelessness, we must address the overwhelming mental health and substance abuse crises in our County.

How can we expect individuals who are mentally ill and living in the depths of addiction to pull themselves out of the brutal cycle of poverty and homelessness? It’s not possible unless they can access effective interventions and support services.

I believe the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is uniquely positioned to make that happen and can dramatically reduce the number of people living on our streets. As your community’s Supervisor, I am working non-stop to fund essential wrap-around services, such as mental health and substance abuse programs, to accompany housing solutions that specifically help those who are chronically homeless.

I’m also leading efforts to develop systems that will stabilize people experiencing homelessness who have serious mental health disorders and transition them into structured settings, such as board and care facilities. This is what it will take if we’re serious about helping end homelessness for the most medically and psychologically frail members of our community.

The new Olive View-UCLA Medical Center Restorative Care Village, a project I spearheaded that was completed last November, is one of example of the type of care that’s needed to combat homelessness. This facility is a collaboration between the Department of Health Services and Department of Mental Health that provides recuperative care beds paired with physical and mental health services. It lowers the chances of individuals returning to our hospital emergency rooms, becoming homeless again after hospital release, or falling into the criminal justice system.

We will not be able to make a lasting impact without our state and federal partners making critical changes. At the federal level, I am advocating for legislation that would make it easier for counties to expand mental health beds. This federal legislation would eliminate the existing red tape that limits how efficiently mental health facilities can be built. At the state level, I am pushing for legislation to remove barriers that restrict our ability to provide services for those most at risk.

I believe that money alone will not solve homelessness. Voters overwhelmingly expressed their commitment to address the homelessness crisis by passing Measure H in 2017. This quarter-cent sales tax to fund homeless services has been in place now for several years, but we’re not seeing large-scale results.

Instead, we are seeing how important it is to hold our homeless services systems accountable to ensure we are good stewards of our taxpayers’ money. That’s why I established a Blue Ribbon Commission on Homelessness. I’m greatly concerned with the lack of accountability in our Homeless Services system. We need to do better, so I tasked the Commission to analyze and review the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA). LAHSA was established nearly 30 years ago and has been operating on the same governance model since. It’s time for LAHSA to evolve and make changes so it can be better equipped to serve our communities and individuals experiencing homelessness.

The Commission is actively working and looking into the way our cities are supported by services funded through Measure H. This process is open to the public and I invite you to provide feedback during their meetings. Your voice is important! You can help the Commission shape their report and recommendations, which will be submitted to the Board of Supervisors in March 2022. Tune in and learn more here.

This is just the beginning of our efforts to address homelessness. It truly takes a village to create community solutions that work and last.

Stay updated on my latest efforts and updates by connecting with my office. Visit KathrynBarger.LACounty.gov for community news and stay in touch with me through my newsletter and on social media on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I look forward to hearing from you!

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