L.A. Continuum of Care Votes 331-9 to Name County as Collaborative Applicant and Point-in-Time Count Lead
Los Angeles is a city in Los Angeles County, California. GSM previously reported that the Los Angeles Continuum of Care general membership meeting broke down on October 9, when organizers were unprepared for the large crowd, and the vote was postponed. At the rescheduled meeting on Tuesday, October 13, the general membership voted 331-9 to designate Los Angeles County as the region's collaborative applicant, led by the county Department of Homeless Services and Housing, and to put the county in charge of the annual point-in-time homelessness count, FOX 11 Los Angeles reported on October 13. The decision came as the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) faces intense scrutiny over alleged mismanagement and misuse of taxpayer dollars.
Ben Kay, co-chair of the Continuum of Care Board, said Tuesday's vote was only to select a collaborative applicant, and that an entity or entities to oversee the Homeless Management Information System and the coordinated entry system are still to be selected. A final determination is expected on October 27 at a federal court status conference, the same day a preliminary injunction blocking the federal suspension of LAHSA's access to federal funds is set to expire. Kay said the court will use the conference to decide next steps for LAHSA, the Continuum of Care and transition plans, and that the Continuum of Care reported the selection process and outcome to a federal judge on Tuesday afternoon.
Sarah Mahin, director of the county Department of Homeless Services and Housing, said the vote came at a tumultuous time, when the Continuum of Care's actions could affect the region's ability to accept hundreds of millions of federal dollars and support more than 11,000 people receiving housing services. She said the department applied because it has the capacity and expertise for the work, and is committed to a collaborative, transparent, accountable and fully regional homeless response system. In the litigation over LAHSA's suspension, the funding at issue is the roughly $239 million sought by dozens of organizations for the 2026-27 cycle.
LAHSA, a joint city-county agency established in 1993, has historically served as the region's lead agency, handling the collaborative application, the Homeless Management Information System, the annual point-in-time count and the coordinated entry system. In June, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) suspended LAHSA's access to federal funds, and LAHSA sued. In August, U.S. District Judge David Carter issued a partial preliminary injunction, finding that a sudden loss of funding would jeopardize housing and services for more than 11,000 people, and restored LAHSA's authority for fiscal year 2026. On September 24, a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, by 2-1, largely denied the Trump administration's appeal over the injunction. HUD said it stands by the lawfulness of its suspension and will comply with the 9th Circuit's temporary order. On September 15, the LAHSA Commission voted not to apply to continue its Continuum of Care leadership roles. LAHSA's agreements with the city to manage programs and contracts run through June 30, 2027.
Ahead of the vote, Los Angeles County had applied for all four of LAHSA's roles, while the City of Los Angeles sought two of them. In a joint statement on October 9, Mayor Karen Bass, City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Councilmembers Ysabel Jurado, Tim McOsker and Imelda Padilla said the city should retain a role in decisions on homelessness programs and housing placements, noting that Los Angeles spends hundreds of millions of dollars on housing but lacks sufficient authority to determine who occupies those units. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said in a statement on Saturday before the vote that the county was prepared to lead and to partner with every city in the county. The vote was originally scheduled for Friday, October 9, but was delayed because organizers were unprepared to accommodate the large crowd of people who wanted to weigh in. Bass and the four councilmembers had criticized the rescheduling, arguing that Angelenos were silenced by the delay.
The Los Angeles Continuum of Care is a collaborative body made up of LAHSA, cities, the county, service providers and other entities, responsible for coordinating regional homelessness programs and federal funding. Long Beach, Glendale and Pasadena are excluded, as each has its own Continuum of Care. The general membership has the authority to designate entities to oversee regional administrative functions, including managing homelessness data, coordinating housing placements and overseeing applications for federal grants.
(Source: FOX 11 Los Angeles and MyNewsLA reports, October 13, 2026; Office of Mayor Karen Bass statement, October 9, 2026; LAHSA releases; Los Angeles Times, September 24, 2026)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 洛杉矶市中心高速公路上方无家可归者营地（资料图）。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons · Levi Clancy 摄，CC0（公有领域）
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