There are an estimated 66,436 people in Los Angeles County experiencing homelessness, and of these individuals two-thirds (41,290) reside in the City of Los Angeles (“City”) (LAHSA, 2020c). Loss of jobs and income coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic are forecasted to continue to contribute to loss of housing and housing instability (Flaming et al., 2021), while at the same time, legacies of racism and gender discrimination continue to drive inequitable health outcomes (California Department of Public Health, 2020; O’Neill, 2020b). The magnitude of the housing crisis, and inequities in health outcomes, underscore the need for efficient and equitable coordination of services for unhoused Angelenos. To this end, a 2020 LA City Council motion calling for an investigation of City and County health service coordination offered an opportunity to identify service gaps, barriers, and opportunities. United Way of Greater Los Angeles further expanded the scope of inquiry and commissioned People’s Health Solutions to implement a rapid analysis. This rapid-response landscape analysis was undertaken with the aim of identifying potential solutions for improving City and County coordination of health and mental health services for people experiencing homelessness in the City. As safety net health and mental health services are provided by the County and coordinated at the Service Planning Area (SPA) level, it is difficult to tease out service gaps, barriers, and opportunities relevant only to the City. For this reason, overall health and mental health service findings and recommendations are relevant to the County, and those for enhancing service planning and coordination are applicable to the City and County.
Los Angeles City and County Health Service Coordination for People Experiencing Homelessness Rapid Response Landscape Analysis
People's Health Solutions
Year: 2022