Lars Benson

Lars Benson is an Assistant Director on the Homelessness & Housing team working to build systems that quickly and effectively connect people experiencing homelessness with deeply affordable permanent housing and supports that meet their needs. Lars has managed rehousing-focused initiatives in Chicago, where the GPL introduced new case management strategies and housing readiness supports to improve access to Permanent Supportive Housing, and Colorado, where the GPL designed assessment tools and referral pathways to identify returning citizens at risk of homelessness and refer them to community-based housing and services. Supporting the national expansion of the GPL’s homelessness work, Lars launched the Coordinated Entry Systems Housing Optimization (CESHO) Initiative, which encompassed research publications, the creation of new learning communities, and cohort-based technical assistance in Allegheny County, PA and Louisiana.

Previously, as Project Leader and Fellow on the GPL’s Procurement and Economic Mobility team, Lars worked with State and Local governments to improve contracting mechanisms for human and social services, develop productive government-provider relationships, and design performance-based management structures oriented toward measurable outcomes. Lars launched and managed the GPL’s Procurement Excellence Cohorts, which helped cities in the U.S. and Latin America improve procurement operations by tracking performance data and monitoring the results of service-oriented contracts. Before joining the GPL, Lars earned a Master of Public Administration from the London School of Economics and Political Science.