The Los Angeles Continuum of Care (LA CoC) General Membership has selected the Los Angeles County Department of Homeless Services and Housing (HSH) to assume four key administrative roles supporting the region’s homelessness response: Collaborative Applicant, Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) Lead, Coordinated Entry System (CES) Management Entity, and Point-in-Time (PIT) Count Administrator. 

The CoC Board’s affirmative vote and the selection of HSH for these critical functions reflect HSH’s commitment to working collaboratively with the City of Los Angeles, the LA CoC Board, and regional partners to strengthen coordination, accountability, transparency, and performance across the region’s homeless response system. 

“We recognize the tremendous responsibility that comes with being entrusted with these roles,” said Sarah Mahin, Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Homeless Services and Housing. “Behind every grant and placement are real people, someone seeking a safe place to live, stability and an opportunity to move forward. These systems are not simply administrative functions; they are critical infrastructure that our entire region relies on to connect people to housing and services, understand where needs exist and measure whether our collective efforts are making a difference.” 

The County’s designations are subject to applicable transition plan established in connection with the ongoing court proceedings, as well as any applicable requirements of LA CoC and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). 

The selection process followed an August 2026 court order by Federal District Judge David O. Carter directing the LA CoC to solicit and evaluate applicants for the four administrative roles. The LA CoC subsequently conducted a competitive process to evaluate applicants and determine which entities were best positioned to carry out each responsibility. 

“We are confident that HSH is prepared to bring these functions together while working collaboratively across our region to build on what works, change what doesn’t and pursue new partnerships and solutions that lead to better outcomes for the people and communities we serve,” said Ben Kay, Chair of the Los Angeles Continuum of Care Board. “We look forward to working closely with the County of Los Angeles, the City of LA, local jurisdictions, service providers, people with lived experience and our many community partners as we move through this transition.” 

In its four LA CoC roles, HSH will be responsible for: 

• Collaborative Applicant: serves as the administrative, planning, and federal application lead for the LA CoC, including coordination of the annual application to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for federal CoC funding. 

• HMIS Lead: oversees the regional information system (HMIS) used to collect, manage and analyze data on homelessness, housing and services. The HMIS lead maintains system availability, configuration, security, privacy, and data quality. 

• CES Management Entity:  Manages the operation and improvement of the Coordinated Entry System so that people experiencing homelessness are identified, assessed via a standardized process, prioritized by need, and referred to appropriate housing services consistently across the region. 

• PIT Count Administrator: Plans, executes, conducts quality assurance, and reports on the Point-in-Time Count and coordinates Housing Inventory Count (HIC) functions. 

HSH is committed to ensuring a smooth, coordinated transition that preserves the institutional knowledge, expertise and experience essential to the region’s homeless response system. Working closely with the LA CoC Board, labor representatives and regional partners, HSH will prioritize continuity of critical operations, seek to minimize workforce disruptions and potential job losses, and strengthen the effectiveness, transparency and accountability of these vital functions. Throughout the transition of responsibilities from LAHSA to the County, HSH remains focused on maintaining system stability, safeguarding public resources and ensuring uninterrupted access to housing and services for people experiencing homelessness. 

The LA CoC encompasses most of Los Angeles County and coordinates the regional response to homelessness under the federal Continuum of Care Program. It brings together local governments, service providers, people with lived experience and other community partners to establish regional priorities, coordinate resources and improve the effectiveness of homelessness programs. 

Additional information regarding the transition, implementation timelines and opportunities for community partner engagement will be shared as the process moves forward. 

County Leaders Respond 

“Every person deserves a safe place to live and the opportunity to build a stable future. Addressing homelessness means meeting people where they are and making sure they can access the help they need,” said Los Angeles County Board Chair and First District Supervisor Hilda L. Solis. “During my time on the Board, I have helped create more than 10,000 affordable and supportive housing units and advance projects like the Restorative Care Village, which connects people experiencing homelessness with behavioral health care and other services. This work takes sustained commitment and coordination across the region. As the County takes on these new responsibilities, it must build on that progress and make sure those efforts help more people move into housing and get the support they need to stay there.” 

"Our fellow residents want to see a sustained commitment to reducing homelessness and measurable progress toward ensuring every person is permanently off the streets and connected to the housing and services they need. As the LA County Department of Homeless Services and Housing and the County take on greater responsibility for all 88 cities and over 100 unincorporated communities by serving as the LA Continuum of Care administrator, we have a responsibility to demonstrate the County’s ability to manage regionally while honoring local autonomy for solving the homelessness crisis," shared Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, Second District. Following two separate votes by the LA CoC General Membership, this transition marks a significant milestone in the ongoing transformation of the LA CoC’s administrative structure, reflecting a shared commitment to regional collaboration.  

“The transition of the Continuum of Care to Los Angeles County creates an opportunity for a more coordinated, transparent, and accountable regional response to homelessness,” stated LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, Third District. “The County is ready to work with the City of Los Angeles, all 88 cities and more than 100 unincorporated communities to better align our efforts and deliver results. Ultimately, success must be measured by whether we are helping people move out of homelessness and into stable housing.” 

“We’ve lost a lot of public trust over how homeless services have been managed, and our residents are sick of finger-pointing.  As LA County takes over these responsibilities from LAHSA, we have to make sure this new system is better than one we are replacing and we have to take accountability for the results. That means being willing to accept responsibility not only for successes but for any failures as well,” stated Los Angeles County Board of Supervisor Janice Hahn, Fourth District.  

"I supported the County taking on the Continuum of Care roles because our new Department of Homeless Services and Housing uniquely positions us to lead," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, Fifth District. "This is a major opportunity to maximize federal funding and strengthen regional accountability. Our collaboration and data-sharing agreement with the City of Los Angeles reflect that exact commitment."