The Task Force on Latinx People Experiencing Homelessness entered the final stages of its report-writing process on Friday, August 9. The Task Force — a collaborative effort facilitated by LAHSA’s equity department and Los Angeles County’s Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion Initiative (ARDI) — spent months hearing from subject-matter experts, hosting listening sessions, and facilitating focus groups. On August 9, the Task Force presented the first draft of its recommendation report.
In addition to its regular members, the Task Force invited over 100 officials from the city, the county, LAHSA, and service providers to receive feedback on the report. Over the course of the day, the Task Force presented its recommendations concerning six areas of interest: preventing homelessness, improving service delivery both to undocumented immigrants and in general, addressing vulnerable populations, addressing impediments to financial security and wellness.
Saba Mwine-Chang — Deputy Chief of Equity, LAHSA
The group split into six sub-committees to discuss each topic in detail. Their feedback focused on making Task Force recommendations implementable, measurable, and distinct from programs and services that are already in place. With this information embedded into the report, the Task Force can more easily track the progress of each of its recommendations in the future, allowing members to understand what works and what does not.
The Task Force will now take the feedback they received to produce an updated draft of the recommendation report. The final report is scheduled to be announced to the public this fall, marking the end of a process that began in October 2022. Once the findings have been presented, the LA County Board of Supervisors will create a plan of action to implement these recommendations into our homeless rehousing system. With time, the hope is that these changes create a system that more successfully services the Latino population in Los Angeles.