LOS ANGELES ADOPTS A ‘WAR ROOM’ STRATEGY FOR TACKLING HOMELESSNESS

Los Angeles city and county officials on Tuesday announced a new strategy to speed the process of getting homeless people into permanent housing that is modeled on the federal government’s response to natural disasters. The creation of a “Housing Central Command” marks an overhaul of how agencies work together in addressing the growing number of people living on the street, according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

Previously the system was slowed by red tape and gaps in information showing what housing units were available and who is eligible to move into them, officials said. In some cases there was a waiting period of 10 months from a person being matched to housing to signing a lease. The new initiative uses a “war room model”inspired by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s approach to finding homes for people suddenly displaced by hurricanes, LAHSA interim Executive Director Heidi Marston said. Now officials will have access to real-time data showing housing availability as well as funding streams, according to LAHSA.

Since the launch in December, officials have identified some 3,000 potential housing units that were previously not part of the overall inventory, Marston said.

According to LAHSA and Mayor Eric Garcetti’s office, an average of 130 homeless people in Los Angeles move into housing daily. However, an average of 150 people become homeless every day.“The homelessness crisis demands an emergency response, and moving the needle means being nimble, flexible and creative with our resources,” Garcetti said in a statement.

MONICA ALMEIDA / NEW YORK TIMES Bobby Shriver, a former mayor of Santa Monica, spent years fighting for veteran housing in West Los Angeles. A nearly 400-acre campus with new housing represents one of the country’s most ambitious plans to address veteran homelessness.