End diffuse leadership and f inger-pointing

Angelenos have made it clear that ending homelessness is their top priority, and over the years they have invested an unprecedented amount of money in an effort to house their unhoused neighbors. But the region suffers from fragmented systems, misaligned plans and diverging ideologies.

Now, with new leadership coming to City Hall and the county Board of Supervisors, we have an opportunity to hit the reset button. No one mayor or county supervisor can solve the issue alone.

What we need is a functioning, outcomedriven response system at the scale of the problem, not diffused leadership and fingerpointing. Any credible solution to homelessness needs to have clear data, specific goals and greater transparency. Most of all, moving forward requires clarity of roles and thoughtful coordination between the city and county governments and the region’s many on-the-ground service providers.

The good thing is that while reducing homelessness is a considerable undertaking, it is not an insurmountable problem. Other communities, like Houston in partnership with Harris County, have figured this out and so can we. The goal should be to create one unified, countywide governing structure that will be accountable to all, and which will benefit from the voices of those who have experienced homelessness.

Miguel A. Santana, L.A.’s former city administrative officer, is chief executive of the Weingart Foundation.