This week, we officially launched the new Los Angeles County Homeless Services and Housing Department, whose work will have tangible, visible impacts.

Increasing our effectiveness requires us to coordinate and centralize our efforts, and this department streamlines work under one roof that was previously divided across LAHSA, the CEO’s Homeless Initiative, and the Department of Health Services. The County can be more effective when we use this connected, unified approach instead of spreading services across several different agencies. Part of the department includes a new Emergency Centralized Response Center, whose staff dispatches outreach teams who are dedicated full time to helping unsheltered individuals and families get off the streets and into interim and permanent housing.

The launch of the department aligned with the annual Homeless Count this week, where volunteers set out from 150 sites across the county to help us conduct this important census. The data we collect informs how we direct funding for housing and services to help those on our streets. I spoke with volunteers who were counting in Monrovia on Wednesday and was encouraged to hear their desire to lend a hand.

It’s clear that Los Angeles County residents are invested, both emotionally and financially, in this work. Measure A passed overwhelmingly, ensuring a steady stream of funding to put this mission of housing and services into action. We owe it to our residents to be clear about how their funding is being used and for them to see the impacts of that work in action.

I am committed to the county providing housing and homelessness services with greater strategy and urgency. This urgency is what the people on our streets deserve, and it’s what our 10 million residents deserve to see in their communities.

Supervisor Kathryn Barger represents the Fifth Supervisorial District of Los Angeles County which is home to nearly two million people. The district covers 2,785.21 square miles and touches the Ventura, Kern and San Bernardino County lines. The Fifth Supervisorial District includes portions of 20 cities, including Santa Clarita, 63 unincorporated communities and 15 neighborhoods in the city of Los Angeles.