December 19, 2025
Judge blocks HUD homelessness overhaul, rebukes agency for causing 'chaos'
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development cannot impose dramatically different conditions for homelessness programs for now, according to an oral ruling Friday by U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy in Rhode Island.
In Los Angeles, Stephanie Klasky-Gamer with LA Family Housing said there is a need for more transitional housing, but not at the expense of long-term housing. And the idea that programs could simply switch from one to the other is not only unrealistic, it's illegal.
"You cannot take a building that has a 75-year deed restriction and just - ding! - call it interim housing," she said.
Click here to read more.
December 12, 2025
What Shelters Really Need: 7 Self-Care Basics You Can Easily Donate Right Now
Shelters gladly take all sorts of donations, but some items are especially needed throughout the year due to high demand and necessity. We spoke with experts who work with shelters about the most wanted and needed items across the country.
“Participants frequently struggle with dry skin and hair, especially during colder months,” notes Kimberly Roberts, LCSW, chief program officer at LA Family Housing. “Hydration-focused hygiene items help maintain comfort, prevent skin irritation, and support confidence during a deeply vulnerable time.”
Click here to learn how you can help.
December 4, 2025
Expected loss of federal funds could push thousands of L.A. County households into homelessness
Local officials are warning that more than 14,500 L.A. County formerly homeless households in subsidized, permanent housing could be forced back onto the streets or into shelters over the next year, mostly because of a loss of federal funding.
“I cannot fathom a universe where we will not see people falling into homelessness and see our streets explode with folks who today are housed,” said Stephanie Klasky-Gamer, president of L.A. Family Housing, a nonprofit that runs permanent housing as well as shelters.
Click here to read the full article.
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November 14, 2025
The Trump administration plans major shift away from long-term housing for homelessness
Today’s national NPR piece sounds the alarm on sweeping federal funding shifts at HUD that could destabilize homelessness services nationwide —and features our CEO, Stephanie Klasky-Gamer, on what this means for communities nationwide and here in LA.
Click here to read or listen to the article.
November 13, 2025
Health Net Renews $1 Million Investment to Expand LA Family Housing’s Impact
More than 500 Angelenos experiencing homelessness will soon have a place to call home thanks to a renewed, $1 million investment from Health Net in LA Family Housing. This marks the second consecutive year of partnership, supporting LAFH’s innovative Housing Location program, which connects people to permanent housing while linking them with vital medical, behavioral health, and supportive services.
Last year, LA Family Housing’s results far exceeded expectations — helping participants secure 458 housing units, nearly double the original goal of 300 — and building relationships with 190 landlords across Los Angeles. The renewed funding will expand that impact even further, demonstrating what’s possible when healthcare and housing providers work hand-in-hand to deliver whole-person care.
“Together with Health Net, we’re not just providing housing; we’re restoring dignity, creating new beginnings, and empowering people to thrive,” said Stephanie Klasky-Gamer, President and CEO of LA Family Housing.
Read the full announcement here.
September 25, 2025
How California is adapting to reductions in federal homelessness funding
Houseless people and tents are seen on a sidewalk on July 24, 2025 (VCG/VCG via Getty Images)
According to reporting done by CalMatters reporter Marisa Kendall, many homelessness organizations across the state are fearing the derailment of progress made in recent years, citing federal funding cuts made by the Trump administration.
On AirTalk, a podcast from LAist, hosts and guests get into what the progress has looked like for state and local organizations, and how exactly federal funding cuts will hurt organizations across California. Helping to break this down are Jennifer Hark Dietz, CEO of PATH, and Stephanie Klasky-Gamer, president and CEO of LA Family Housing.
August 25, 2025
There's no shelter space left for families, LA homeless agency says in draft memo
The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority says interim housing for families is currently at capacity. (Photo: Elly Yu/LAist)
The L.A. region’s homeless services agency has been crafting a message for family services providers on how to deliver bad news to families experiencing homelessness: Due to funding cuts, they’re out of housing.
Programs to help families move into permanent housing have also been cut.
The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority has been working with providers on language to share with families seeking assistance: Shelters are full. They're out of housing.
August 11, 2025
To tackle homelessness, Los Angeles County moves to centralize its response
Members of the LAFH Outreach Team and ECRC workers gather near a homeless encampment in Northridge. (David Butow/For The Times)
The Los Angeles County Emergency Centralized Response Center launched in January with a goal of better coordinating homeless services. The dispatch center helps coordinate outreach, cleanups, and housing placements.
Officials say the new centralized system makes it easier to get people off the streets and into housing.
July 29, 2025
Despite new sales tax to reduce homelessness, LAHSA cuts back an effective path to housing
Brook Hughes, from LA Family Housing, speaks with Roger Ortega at a homeless encampment in North Hollywood. Hughes is part of a task force from various agencies in the city and county of Los Angeles to help provide services to aid and house people. (David Butow / For The Times)
In April, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, citing budget cuts, directed the center and other service providers across the county to stop accepting new participants into the so-called time-limited subsidies, or TLS, a crucial program little known outside the world of homeless services.
July 18, 2025
Incentive program to combat meth addiction among homeless people
Gift cards offered to participants in exchange for clean drug tests. (Spectrum News/Taylor Schaub)
Los Angeles County Department of Health Services is testing a new approach to address methamphetamine addiction among its homeless population: paying people to test clean.
The pilot program, known as contingency management, offers participants gift cards in exchange for clean drug tests.
Participants are tested weekly for methamphetamine over a 13-week period.
For each negative test, they receive a prepaid Visa card. The total incentive can reach up to $600.
July 16, 2025
Homelessness in LA City and County Decreases for a Second Year in a Row
Hope the Mission outreach worker Maria Hernandez outside an unhoused dwelling during the 2024 Los Angeles homeless count in Canoga Park on Jan. 23. (SFVS/el Sol Photos/Semantha Raquel Norris)
The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) announced the results of the 2025 Greater LA Homeless Count this week, touting a reduction in homelessness for the second year in a row.
However, those who work in organizations that serve the unhoused community expressed cautious optimism. While the report indicates fewer people are living on the streets, they don’t want the city and county of LA to lose sight of what needs to be done to tackle the continued homelessness crisis.
The results of the homeless count indicated a reduction across a number of metrics. In LA County, homelessness fell by 4%, while it declined by 3.4% in the city. When it comes to the number of unsheltered homeless, it decreased by 9.5% in the county and 7.9% in the city.
July 14, 2025
Homelessness in LA region dropped for the second time in two years, according to annual count
Mayor Karen Bass speaks at a press conference before LAHSA's annual homeless count at El Rio Community School on Feb. 18, 2025 in Los Angeles. (Carlin Stiehl/LAist)
Los Angeles County’s unhoused population declined slightly for the second year in a row, according to authorities responsible for the region’s annual point-in-time homeless count.
Results of the 2025 event, released Monday, show homelessness dropped by 3.4% in the city of L.A. and by 4% countywide, according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, or LAHSA. That includes the number of people in shelters and those sleeping outdoors.
July 9, 2025
Can gift cards help unhoused Angelenos quit meth? LA County program shows progress
The fourth cycle of L.A. County’s traveling contingency management program will conclude this month at The Willows, a transitional housing site in Canoga Park. (PracticeLA)
For four years, Shane Hutchison lived in a tent in the middle of the desert outside Lancaster, miles from the nearest grocery store. The 53-year old started each day the same way — with methamphetamine.
“It's almost like you feel you have to have it just to be able to make the seven-mile hike one-way for water,” Hutchison said. “Out there in the desert, it becomes a tool of survival.”
Last summer, an outreach worker asked Hutchison if he wanted to be a part of a new Los Angeles County program in which he could earn gift cards each week he could pass a drug test.
The program, which started last year, is one of the only treatment options available for unhoused Angelenos addicted to stimulants, including methamphetamine. While the approach has been used in drug treatment for decades, it’s now gaining traction in L.A. County. And there’s evidence to show it’s been successful.
February 19, 2025
The largest point-in-time homeless count in the U.S. is underway in LA County
Volunteers Juan Woo, left, and Alex Chao check their map and phone app as they go on their route to count the homeless in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. The homeless count was delayed due to the LA fires in January. The count provides a point-in-time snapshot of homelessness throughout Los Angeles County. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Thanks to thousands of volunteers, the largest point-in-time homeless count in the United States got underway Tuesday night in Los Angeles County, starting in San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita Valley and Metro Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) oversaw 49 deployment sites in those three areas on Tuesday, with volunteers driving or walking in teams to count homeless people on streets, in parks, near public buildings, and living in cars, tents and RVs.