L.A. County to Open Year-Round, 24-Hour Emergency Homeless Shelters

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Sept. 24 voted to implement year-round emergency shelters for people experiencing homelessness that will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

The motion, introduced by Supervisor Kathryn Barger and co-authored by Chair Lindsey P. Horvath, directs the county’s chief executive office to take several important steps to establish eight shelters, one in each of Los Angeles County’s Service Planning Areas. The motion also calls on the county to identify funding and locations where these emergency shelters will be established.  

The motion also calls for the county’s chief executive office to consider innovative design options, including modular construction. 

Each emergency shelter will need to provide a baseline of services, referenced as “core support” in the motion, which includes three meals a day, showers, bathrooms, clothes and other basic needs.

The forthcoming proposal will explore a menu of supportive services, including access to medical care, connections to mental health and substance abuse treatment, housing navigation, legal document retrieval and record clearing. 

The county will also collaborate with municipal officials to create these future emergency shelters, including joint funding agreements between the county and cities and assistance identifying suitable locations.