Los Angeles, CA (August 1, 2019) —Addressing the employment and workforce training needs of people experiencing and at-risk of homelessness is an essential effort within our countywide strategies to prevent and end homelessness. Over the past year, the Employment and Homelessness Taskforce formed to focus on increased the capacity of the workforce, public social services, and housing systems to connect people experiencing homelessness to employment.
The Taskforce is convened by CEO with leadership from LAHSA, WDACS, DPSS, United Way and CSH. After six months of stakeholder input and strategy development, the Employment and Housing Taskforce and its agency partners have begun implementation of the Taskforce's recommendations.
The strategies include:
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Improve training on accessing employment and housing resources
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Streamline the assessment process that that identifies resources best fit for an individual's needs
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Engage businesses to offer employment opportunities to people who have experienced homelessness
To test and develop these strategies, implementation was launched in two communities: the San Gabriel Valley/Pomona area and South LA. In these regions, housing and workforce partners will be meeting together regularly over the next year for training, referral coordination, case management collaboration, and implementation of new innovative strategies such as flexible funds that address participant needs for interviews and job placement.
If you have any questions, please contact Will Lehman by email.
The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority is a joint powers authority of the city and county of Los Angeles, created in 1993 to address the problem of homelessness in Los Angeles County. LAHSA is the lead agency in the HUD-funded Los Angeles Continuum of Care, and coordinates and manages $400 million annually in federal, state, county, and city funds for programs providing shelter, housing, and services to people experiencing homelessness.