LOS ANGELES, CA – A Los Angeles Continuum of Care membership meeting called to vote on shifting the region’s core federal homelessness duties from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority to Los Angeles County ended Friday without a vote after more than 1,500 people signed up to take part in a session whose online channel held 1,000.
The general membership meeting of the Los Angeles Continuum of Care, known as the LA CoC, took place Friday, Oct. 9, and adjourned about two minutes after it began. Members were to vote on the CoC Board’s recommendation that the county assume four roles now held by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, or LAHSA: Collaborative Applicant, HMIS Lead, CES Management Entity and Point-in-Time Count Administrator.
In a formal statement, the board said, “The vote had to be continued today to ensure that all LA CoC members would be able to participate, given an unexpectedly high number of individuals who joined the online meeting.”
Mayor Karen Bass, Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Councilmembers Ysabel Jurado, Tim McOsker and Imelda Padilla responded with a joint statement. They said the meeting “broke down just two minutes after it began because the Board did not plan adequately for a large audience.”
As of Saturday, Oct. 10, no new meeting date had been announced.
Board cites limit on Zoom capacity
The board’s attorney, Shayla Myers, announced that the meeting was canceled because the Zoom channel was limited to 1,000 participants, according to initial reports. People who had come to the meeting in person voiced objections.
Under the board’s charter, membership in the LA CoC is open to anyone with an interest in homelessness, and members are eligible to vote. That open membership is why the sign-up count could reach into the thousands.
Bass’s office sent a message through its communications networks urging people to join the meeting online and vote against the board’s recommendation of the county, according to initial reports.
Bass and council members say residents were silenced
The joint statement said, “Angelenos want a voice in the future of homelessness services, and they were silenced today.” The officials said the proposal to place the roles with the county alone “leaves no room for those voices to be heard.”
They added, “Without collaboration and transparency, management of this complex issue will continue to falter, and worse, our unhoused neighbors will continue to suffer.” The officials said the city funds hundreds of millions of dollars in housing but lacks authority over who is placed in it.
County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said Saturday morning, “Failing to hold yesterday’s meeting is unacceptable and erodes public trust. This meeting must be rescheduled immediately.” She said people experiencing homelessness cannot afford more delays.
Councilmember Nithya Raman said she looks forward to the meeting being reconvened and the process moving forward with transparency and accountability. Raman is challenging Bass in the November mayoral election.
Four federal functions are at stake
The four roles carry the region’s federally mandated homelessness duties. The Collaborative Applicant submits applications for federal funding on behalf of dozens of local agencies, and the HMIS Lead runs the database that tracks every interaction with people experiencing homelessness.
The CES Management Entity runs the matching system that determines who receives housing, and the Point-in-Time Count Administrator is responsible for the annual homeless count.
The board hired outside consultants to set up an emergency bidding process and score the applicants. The City of Los Angeles applied for two of the roles, the database and the matching system, and scored below the county in both. The county applied for all four and won the board’s recommendation.
LAHSA’s governing commission voted Sept. 15 not to apply to keep the four roles, which bring in about $240 million a year from the federal government. Applications were due Sept. 25.
HUD suspended LAHSA in June
The dispute began when the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced on June 11 the immediate suspension of LAHSA. HUD cited a lack of financial management, internal controls and safeguards against conflicts of interest, and said in its release that LAHSA has received $944 million in HUD funding since 2021.
Secretary Scott Turner said in the release that HUD will fund results. HUD said local homeless service providers would have to apply directly to the department for funding.
LAHSA sued the federal government after the suspension and sought a temporary restraining order. The agency said the suspension threatens services for more than 11,000 people, and said homelessness fell 4.3% countywide since 2023, compared with a 13.5% increase nationwide.
Court order keeps LAHSA in place for now
On Aug. 13, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California issued a preliminary injunction order in LAHSA v. Trump et al., halting HUD’s suspension of LAHSA. U.S. District Judge David O. Carter found HUD’s action arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion or otherwise not in accordance with law, LAHSA announced.
The order requires a public solicitation for the fiscal year 2027 leadership roles. LAHSA said, “The LA CoC will submit its evaluation report of applicants to the Court by October 13, 2026.” A status conference before Carter is set for Oct. 27.
Interim CEO Gita O’Neill called the ruling a vital victory for unhoused neighbors. A three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals later denied HUD’s request for a stay, and oral argument on HUD’s appeal of the injunction is set for Oct. 19.
County prepared to assume designated roles
On Aug. 11, Supervisors Horvath and Kathryn Barger introduced a motion reaffirming the county’s commitment to the LA CoC and directing the county to prepare to assume any roles the CoC designates. Barger said the county has the infrastructure, experience and commitment to ensure continuity of services.
The county’s announcement said, “More than 10,000 people are housed through LA’s Continuum of Care rental subsidies.” The county has its own Department of Homeless Services and Housing.
Bass addressed the county’s separate moves in an earlier statement on the city’s potential withdrawal from LAHSA. She said the county’s decision to create its own department and withdraw from LAHSA created a funding and operational gap the city must address, and that withdrawing too quickly without a plan and capacity would have unintended consequences.
2026 homeless count frames the dispute
One of the roles at stake, administration of the point-in-time count, produced the most recent figures. LAHSA’s 2026 count estimated 73,040 people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County, up 1.2%. The city count was 45,194 people, up 3.4%. LAHSA said, “Neither change is considered statistically significant.”
Unsheltered homelessness was estimated at 49,002 in the county, up 3.3%, and 29,115 in the city, up 7.9%.
The county’s Homeless Services and Housing department, in its statement on the count, said homelessness increased by 1.2% overall and unsheltered homelessness rose by 3.3% countywide. The department said it moved more than 4,000 people into permanent housing between July 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026.
Evaluation report due Oct. 13, court conference Oct. 27
The CoC’s evaluation report is due to the court Tuesday, Oct. 13, followed by the Ninth Circuit arguments Oct. 19 and the status conference before Carter on Oct. 27. The membership vote on the board’s recommendation remains pending.
