LOS ANGELES (CNS) – The City Council today authorized $450,000 to hire a consultant to support the development a new structure on homelessness, with the goal of breaking away from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.
In a 14-0 vote, the council approved a motion by President Marqueece Harris-Dawson instructing the city administrative officer to “rapidly procure expert consultant capacity to support the city in developing a new homeless structure with an implementation plan,” and to report to the council and Mayor Karen Bass on the outcome of the procurement.
Councilman Curren Price was absent during Tuesday’s meeting.
Additionally, in a 13-1 vote, the council also approved the transfer of money as detailed in the 2026-27 annual homeless funding report. Among the expenditures, the city authorized nearly $5 million to provide funding to LAHSA for contract administration through June 30, 2027.
The report also details spending allocations for Project Homekey sites, tiny home villages, Bass’ Inside Safe initiative, A Bridge Home sites, and various services and programs related to homelessness.
Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez opposed the spending plan. There was no major discussion on the two items.
Rodriguez has been critical of LAHSA, and previously authored a motion calling for the creation of a city-led homelessness department.
LAHSA has faced significant challenges as Los Angeles County diverted more than $300 million and members of its workforce to establish a new department of homelessness, which began operating July 1.
Tuesday’s vote marked a step forward in the council’s efforts to separate the city from the agency.
Established in 1993, the city-county joint agency has been criticized for its failure to properly track millions of dollars, and ensuring taxpayer money was being used effectively. LAHSA officials have said they’ve implemented new procedures, protocols and technology to improve those issues.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development paused federal funding to LAHSA, citing audit failures. The agency filed a lawsuit against the department in response with the goal of unfreezing those dollars.
In July, LAHSA reported an increase in homelessness after two consecutive years of decreases.
According to the 2026 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, led by LAHSA in January, the number of unhoused people in Los Angeles County and the city rose 1.2% and 3.4%, respectively, with progress stalling due to economic hardships and a reduction in federal homelessness funding.
The number of unsheltered homeless — people living in encampments or in vehicles — increased by 3.3% in the county, and by 7.9% in the city, the data showed.
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