LAHSA Ad Hoc Committee On Black People Experiencing Homelessness

Background

According to the 2017 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, 40% of persons experiencing homelessness across Los Angeles County are Black or African American, compared to only 9% of the total population in the County. This group has been consistently overrepresented among people experiencing homelessness.

At its December 2017 meeting, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) Commission established the Ad Hoc Committee on Black People Experiencing Homelessness to specifically address this critical issue. The purpose of the Committee is to provide focused attention to better understand the factors contributing to the overrepresentation of Black people among the population experiencing homelessness, identify opportunities to increase racial equity within the homeless service delivery system, and develop recommendations to more effectively meet the needs of Black people experiencing homelessness.

Committee Membership

LAHSA Commission Committee Members:

• Jacqueline Waggoner, LAHSA Commission, Committee Chair
• Kelli Bernard, LAHSA Commission, Committee Vice-Chair

Committee Members

• Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kellum, St. Joseph’s Center
• Chancella Al-Mansour, Housing Rights Center
• Reverend Eddie Anderson, McCarty Memorial Christian Church
• Dr. Jack Barbour, Southern California Health & Rehabilitation Program
• Wendell Blassingame, Skid Row Resident/Veteran
• Rachel Brashier, Office of Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson
• Reverend Oliver Buie, Holman Methodist Church
• Chela Demuir-Cartier, Unique Woman’s Coalition
• Brian Ford, Los Angeles County Probation Department
• Robin Hughes, Abode Communities
• Janet Kelly, Sanctuary of Hope
• Monique King-Viehland, Community Development Commission of the County of Los Angeles
• Veronica Lewis, SSG HOPICS
• Juataun Mark, Los Angeles County Department of Health Services
• Nova Mirari, Homeless Youth Forum of Los Angeles
• Anita Nelson, SRO Housing Corporation
• Alisa Orduna, City of Santa Monica
• Molly Rysman, Office of Supervisor Shelia Keuhl
• Suzette Shaw, Skid Row Resident/Human Services Advocate with Homeless Lived Experience
• Brenda Shockley, Office of Mayor Eric Garcetti
• Lola Smallwood Cuevas, Los Angeles Black Worker Center
• Sean Spear, City of Los Angeles Housing + Community Investment Department
• Reba Stevens, Advocate with Homeless Lived Experience
• Pete White, Los Angeles Community Action Network
• Dhakshike Wickrema, Office of Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas

Public Meeting Schedule

The Committee is holding monthly public meetings and listening sessions over a six-month period to better understand the experiences of Black individuals and households within the homeless service delivery system, including challenges, vulnerabilities, barriers to service, and driving forces of housing instability. Meetings are open to the public and are held in various locations across the County to enable attendance and participation by a diverse group of community members.

Monthly Committee Meetings

The Committee’s monthly meetings invite expert presentations on specific topics in addition to providing an opportunity for public comment from stakeholders and community members to address and better understand each of these issues.

Monday, April 19, 2018, | 1:00-5:00 PM

Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority |811 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles

• Orientation
• Training on Implicit Bias & Racial Equity Toolkit (RET) Application

Meeting Agenda & Supporting Documents

Monday, May 21, 2018 | 2:00-4:00 PM

Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority | 811 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles

• Introduction to LAHSA & the Coordinated Entry System (CES)
• Examining Equity in the Homeless Service System through Data

Meeting Agenda & Supporting Documents 

Monday, June 18, 2018 | 1:00-4:30 PM

Constituent Service Center of Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson, 8475 S. Vermont Ave, Los Angeles

• Re-entry & Criminal Justice System Involvement

Meeting Agenda & Supporting Documents

Monday, July 16, 2018 | 1:00-4:30 PM

A.C. Bilbrew Public Library, 150 E. El Segundo Boulevard, Los Angeles

• Child Welfare System Involvement

Meeting Agenda & Supporting Documents

Monday, August 20, 2018 | 1:00-4:30 PM

James Wood Community Center, 400 E. 5th Street, Los Angeles

• CES Outreach & Assessment

Monday, September 17, 2018 | 1:00-4:30 PM

Location TBD

• Permanent Housing

Community Listening Sessions

A critical component of the Committee’s work is engaging advocates, service providers, and community members through a series of targeted community listening sessions, to better understand key challenges and barriers that the Committee’s work needs to address, and to generate recommendations for improving services. Additional dates and locations are forthcoming.

Friday, May 18, 2018 | 3:00-5:00 PM

James Wood Community Center | 400 E 5th Street, Los Angeles

Thursday, June 7, 2018 | 3:00-5:00 PM

Broadway Manchester Service Center | 8525 S Broadway, Los Angeles

Thursday, June 14, 2018 | 6:30-8:30 PM

Holman United Methodist Church, White Hall | 3320 W Adams Blvd, Los Angeles

Friday, July 13, 2018 | 9:30-11:30 AM

St. Joseph Center | 204 Hampton Drive, Venice
Click here to access a printable flyer.

Friday, July 13, 2018 | 3:00-5:00 PM

Harbor Interfaith Services | 670 W 9th Street, San Pedro
Click here to access a printable flyer.

Wednesday, August 15, 2018 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Chimbole Cultural Center, Manzanita Ballroom | 38350 Sierra Hwy, Palmdale
Click here to access a printable flyer.