County moves to create Department of Homeless Services and Housing; LAHSA staff transition and labor disputes draw board motions
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Summary
The Board advanced an ordinance to create the Department of Homeless Services and Housing (HSH) effective Jan. 1, 2026, and heard extensive testimony and debate about how LAHSA staff and Measure A funds will move to the county. Supervisors demanded written 30‑ and 90‑day plans from CEO and DHR and voted to refer certain legal questions back for a report.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Nov. 18 introduced and voted to adopt a county ordinance establishing the Department of Homeless Services and Housing (HSH) and to delegate authority needed to operate as a full department beginning Jan. 1, 2026. The CEO team, interim director Sarah Mann and the DHR implementation team described a phased plan to consolidate funding and staffing from the CEO, Housing for Health, and other county units into the new department.
Sarah Mann said the new department is intended to increase accountability, reduce fragmentation in service delivery and stretch the county’s Measure A and other resources. “The creation of HSH gives the county the opportunity to create a more streamlined approach to homelessness that makes it clear how and where people experiencing homelessness can access help,” Mann told the board.
The CEO and DHR outlined a three‑phase timeline through July 2026 and described hiring and contracting steps, including an administrative staffing ramp beginning immediately and program recruitments later in 2026. DHR said it will run a concierge hiring program, an Attract portal and monthly outreach to LAHSA employees and plans to consult with SEIU Local 721 on specialty language to recognize LAHSA job families.
Extensive LAHSA staff and union testimony followed. Hundreds of LAHSA employees and SEIU 721 representatives testified repeatedly that they had been told they would be prioritized for a direct transition but are being asked instead to apply in public county recruitments. LAHSA workers demanded the county use Charter Section 56 and related authority to directly transfer county‑funded LAHSA positions into the new department without breaks in pay or benefits. Many said a public application process would result in layoffs and service interruptions.
Supervisors pressed county staff for specifics about which funding streams and positions would transfer from LAHSA to HSH, and how many staff the county could absorb. The CEO team said an initial count suggested about 751 LAHSA employees and that roughly 545 positions were at least partially county‑funded; DHR said about 367 positions are represented. County staff said the city and federal funding picture is changing and the unbraiding of funds is complicated.
After debate the board approved a motion to adopt the ordinance but amended it to refer Recommendation 16 and certain legal/delegation language back to the CEO for a report. The Board directed the CEO and DHR to provide a written 30‑day plan explaining how county departments will prioritize represented LAHSA workers for county hiring, describe DHR concierge services, and identify funded county positions; and a 90‑day report on Phase 2 implementation with detailed organizational charts and vacant funded positions for FY 2026‑27. Supervisors also asked for regular 30‑day verbal progress reports until July 2026.
The action moves HSH forward while creating an explicit auditing and reporting schedule intended to monitor staff transitions, funding unbraiding, and workforce protections; the board’s amendments reflect unresolved questions over labor protections and the scope and timing of transferring LAHSA programs into county operation.