Investing in the Homeless Response Workforce

Improving Access to Services for Latinx People Experiencing Homelessness in Los Angeles

A cityscape of downtown Los Angeles with tall buildings, palm trees, and a busy freeway under a clear sky.

Project Context: 

  • Four out of ten people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles are Latinx and this population has grown significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic. 
  • Many Latinx people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles face specific barriers in accessing services, such as lack of trust in institutions, cultural stigma, language barriers, and documentation requirements. These barriers can lead to lower levels of system engagement and fewer connections to housing.  

How the GPL is Supporting: 

  • Analyzing qualitative and quantitative system data to better understand the challenges Latinx people experience in accessing services to identify strategies to address them in the short- and long-term. 
  • Developing trainings and resources, including guides for obtaining documents necessary to access housing resources, best practices in culturally responsive service delivery, and an English-to-Spanish housing terminology guide for the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) and street outreach teams. 
    • These resources are designed to address barriers that may hinder Latinx people from accessing services such as mental health treatment and affordable housing programs. 
  • Helping design a pilot grant-making program to build the capacity of faith-based organizations and small agencies that provide homeless support services to diverse communities. 
  •  The GPL is launching a training and coaching pilot focused on data-driven performance management with LAHSA and other homeless response system leaders in the coming months.