Los Angeles city and county officials have reached an agreement that will grant the city authority over the placement of individuals into city shelters and housing programs, resolving a long-standing dispute over homelessness services. The deal, approved by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday following City Council approval last Friday, aims to give the city greater control and access to information concerning homeless residents within its boundaries.
Under the agreement, Los Angeles will gain access to the region’s homelessness database, previously managed by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), a joint city-county agency established more than three decades ago. Concurrently, the county will assume responsibility for operating the matching system and database functions handled by LAHSA. This arrangement comes amid ongoing efforts to dismantle the agency.
Mayor Karen Bass described the agreement as a “historic opportunity” for Los Angeles to develop a homelessness system focused primarily on assisting individuals experiencing homelessness within the city itself. She noted that until now, city resources often served residents from across the broader county, a situation that created tensions among taxpayers who believed their contributions funded only city residents.
The dismantling of LAHSA began last year after the Board of Supervisors established a new Homeless Services and Housing Department and withdrew its substantial funding—over $300 million annually—from LAHSA. The move followed federal scrutiny: in June, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) suspended LAHSA due to audits and reports indicating mismanagement and conflicts of interest. That suspension barred LAHSA from performing crucial duties including managing the homeless database, coordinating the annual homeless count, and applying for federal aid on behalf of regional service providers. HUD instructed providers to apply directly for federal funds going forward.
In response, LAHSA filed a federal lawsuit challenging the suspension. U.S. District Judge David O. Carter issued a 60-day stay of the HUD suspension to allow a transition of LAHSA’s responsibilities to the city and county. During a hearing on Tuesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli endorsed the new city-county arrangement in principle, leading Carter to extend the stay through Nov. 13 to finalize outstanding details and conclude the litigation.
County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who played a key role in negotiating the power-sharing agreement with Mayor Bass, emphasized that effective regional leadership demands collaboration. She called Tuesday’s vote “a positive step toward a more coordinated and accountable regional response to homelessness.”
The agreement marks a critical shift in how homelessness services will be coordinated across one of the nation’s largest and most complex urban regions, with city and county officials signaling a commitment to greater transparency and local control as they move forward.