LA County seeks public input on Measure A homeless spending plan

Los Angeles County on Monday invited residents to help shape how Measure A funding will be used to address homelessness through the launch of its new Department of Homeless Services and Housing, which will begin next fiscal year.

Earlier this year, L.A. County officials enacted a plan to create a centralized homeless department and move more than $300 million from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority to this new entity. The decision came in response to scathing audits that faulted LAHSA with issues tracking its homeless service providers and not alleviating the homelessness crisis.

LAHSA has disputed the findings and said it has taken steps to improve data tracking, including the release of online tools.

The meetings will focus on a spending plan for Measure in the 2026-27 fiscal year, and will serve as an opportunity for residents to decide how to shape the county's homeless response and housing system.

Meetings will take place via Zoom, with the first two public forums scheduled on Sept. 5 for service providers and residents. To register and see the full list of meetings, visit https://homeless.lacounty.gov/fiscal-year-2026-27-measure-a-spending-plan/

According to the county, staff members are expected to finalize a spending plan in November and present the draft in December. The final document is expected to be considered in May as part of the county's recommended budget.

Voters approved Measure A, a half-cent sales tax to support housing and services for people experiencing homelessness, in November 2024. The measure repealed and replaced Measure H, a quarter-cent sales tax that was set to expire in 2027.

Measure A is expected to generate $1 billion a year for housing and homelessness programs.

Last month, LAHSA's governing board appointed a new interim chief executive -- assistant Los Angeles City attorney Gita O'Neill -- who handles homelessness policy. O'Neill replaced LAHSA CEO Va Lecia Adams Kellum, who resigned after two and a half years leading the agency.

O'Neill's 12-month contract begins Aug. 26.

Under Adams Kellum's leadership, the agency touted a reduction in unsheltered homelessness for a second year in a row. The annual point-in-time homeless count showed a 4% decrease countywide and a 3.4% drop within the city of Los Angeles.

The new county homelessness department is expected to be in place by Jan. 1, with Measure A funding pulled from LAHSA and transferred to the county entity by July 1, 2026.

The county is also expected to pull hundreds of workers from LAHSA to staff its homeless department.

On March 25th, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the Homeless Initiative’s $908 million Funding Recommendations for homeless services in fiscal year 2025-26, with the adoption of a motion to continue funding for homelessness prevention services and programs serving Transition-Age Youth. 

The approved Funding Recommendations include $655,802,000 as the County’s first proceeds from the Measure A sales tax, including $535,455,000 in Measure A Comprehensive Homelessness Services funds. 

Additional reporting by City News Service.