Report from Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsay Horvath

Declaring a Local Emergency to Address LA County’s Homelessness Crisis
At this week’s Board Meeting, we passed my motion, coauthored by Supervisor Kathryn Barger, declaring a local emergency over the homelessness crisis in Los Angeles County.
The motion acknowledges the complicated and multifaceted nature of the crisis, and sets a new tone for the region’s approach to solving this crisis. The emergency declaration allows us to slash red tape, streamline processes, and accelerate timelines to make sure LA County fulfills our duty to provide mental health, substance abuse treatment, and case management services for those experiencing homelessness.
It also keeps LA County locked in step with the City of Los Angeles, which has also declared an emergency. This critical motion ensures that the County is efficiently using every single resource at our disposal to treat this crisis with the attention it deserves.

Ready to Serve, LAHSA!
I nominated myself to serve on the Commission at the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority this week.
LAHSA is the largest provider of homelessness services in our region and the lead agency in the Los Angeles Continuum of Care, which is the regional planning body that coordinates housing and services for homeless
families and individuals in Los Angeles County.
LAHSA coordinates and manages over $800 million annually in federal, state, county, and city funds for programs that provide shelter, housing, and services to people experiencing homelessness.

Saving Lives by Making NARCAN Readily Accessible in the County’s Juvenile Halls and Camps

In an effort to prevent fatal overdoses and combat the increasing prevalence of fentanyl, the board unanimously approved my motion, coauthored by Supervisor Janice Hahn, setting in motion a plan to make NARCAN (naloxone) readily available to trained staff in the Department of Probation’s juvenile halls and camps.
Like many jurisdictions across the nation, LA County has seen the opioid crisis grow in recent years, with fatal overdoses skyrocketing as fentanyl, and counterfeit drugs containing it, becomes increasingly common.
Fentanyl-related deaths are on the rise, particularly among young people.
Naloxone, often hailed as a “miracle drug,” is an opioid receptor antagonist that can restore normal breathing and save the life of an individual suffering from a potentially fatal opioid overdose.

Youth Homelessness Count
I support Supervisor Solis’s motion proclaiming January 21 through 31, 2023 as “Greater Los Angeles Youth Homeless Count”, drawing attention to our young people experiencing homelessness and the opportunity to volunteer for the count later this month. While last year’s homeless count showed a significant reduction in this population, we know the results may have been impacted by volunteer challenges. It can be challenging finding and connecting with youth experiencing housing insecurity and homelessness, especially those with particular vulnerabilities. In particular, youth who identify as LBGTQIA +often face family rejection, discrimination, and violence, contributing to a significant overrepresentation in our homeless population.

Curbing EBT Card Skimming
I also put my support behind a motion from Supervisor Solis that aims to combat illegal skimming of EBT cards. EBT Skimming involves the use of illegal electronic card readers (aka “skimmers”) secretly installed on top of card readers at retail stores, gas stations, and bank ATMs. When a DPSS customer unknowingly swipes their EBT card on one of these devices, their information and PIN is stolen and used to create duplicate cards, which are then used to withdraw their benefits.
Across California, the amount of stolen benefits replaced is nearing $50 million. The motion launches a communications campaign to ensure the public is aware of this problem, supports legislative efforts to ensure accountability and prevent the practice, and tightens our internal processes to restore benefits to victims of this crime.