The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 on Tuesday, Nov. 26, to supporting a motion to evaluate the feasibility of instituting a new department to spearhead the county’s efforts to tackle homelessness.

The board approved the motion on a 4-0 vote, with Supervisor Holly Mitchell abstaining. Mitchell questioned whether creating a county department would only shift persistent administrative challenges from one agency to another.

Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents the Santa Clarita Valley in addtion to other areas of Los Angeles County, issued the following statement following the vote:

“I’m pleased our board agreed that we’re ready to develop an analysis of what it would take to create a new county department exclusively focused on homelessness.

While we’ve made some strides, it’s clear that more needs to be done and the time to launch this planning work couldn’t be better. The passage of Measure A will unleash over $1 billion a year for homelessness. Our County must be ready to deploy timely solutions, at a large scale and in a coordinated way, working hand-in-hand with our municipal partners. Bringing that work in-house will help our County better track performance and efficacy.

Make no mistake–this is not an effort to point accountability away from our Board of Supervisors. I believe a county department focused on homelessness will help us create more unity of effort and will also help end a blame game. Ultimately, our board is responsible and accountable for addressing the homelessness crisis. We are the entity that must make thoughtful, informed decisions and direct resources accordingly. The forthcoming analysis will further fuel our work and efforts to be introspective. I look forward to the report back and to continuing this important work.”