Los Angeles City and County Health Service Coordination for People Experiencing Homelessness
Our rapid-response landscape analysis helped members of Los Angeles City Council to visualize the existing continuum of health care for people experiencing homelessness
Housing is one of the most important contributors to health and wellbeing. With more than 44,000 people in the City of Los Angeles without a home, we face a public health crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic escalated housing instability, while at the same time, legacies of racism and gender discrimination continue to drive inequitable health outcomes.
The magnitude of this crisis underscores the need for more efficient and equitable coordination of health services. In response to a Los Angeles City Council motion on this issue, People’s Health Solutions was commissioned by Home For Good of United Way of Greater Los Angeles (UWGLA) and Los Angeles City Administrative Office (CAO) to conduct a rapid-response landscape analysis.
Our resulting report, Los Angeles City and County Health Service Coordination for People Experiencing Homelessness, was guided by local knowledge and leadership. Collaborators included key informants from dozens of organizations; advocates with lived experience; and a dedicated Steering Committee: Etsemaye P. Agonafter, MD, MPS, MS; Dorothy Edwards; Caroline Rivas, MSW; Norma Stoker-Mtume, MHS, MA, MFT; and Lucien Wulsin, JD.
The report included a policy brief, recommendations, and case spotlights. The latter offer lessons learned from local community-based organizations, Homeless Health Care Los Angeles and Venice Family Clinic, as well as initiatives in New York City. They illustrate the promise of programs centered around low-barrier access, mobile medicine, law enforcement diversion, relationship-building with peers, and harm reduction models.