In a sign of how prevalent the problem has become, L.A. County has named Sarah Mahin as the Inaugural Director of its Department of Homeless Services and Housing, triggering a major overhaul of the region’s homelessness response system.
At a Glance
- Sarah Mahin was tapped to head the newly formed Homelessness Department.
- The department consolidates Housing for Health and Homeless Initiative under one roof.
- Nearly $350 million in funding is being pulled from LAHSA and redirected to county control.
- Housing for Health previously served 57,000 clients with an $875 million budget.
- The department aims to be fully operational by July 1, 2026.
Bold Move to Reclaim Control
In April 2025, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted to withdraw from LAHSA and launch its own homelessness agency, citing audit findings of mismanagement and lack of transparency. On July 3, 2025, Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Kathryn Barger officially named Sarah Mahin — current Head of Housing for Health — as the Director of the new agency.
Mahin’s résumé includes overseeing policy and systems at LAHSA and managing veteran homelessness efforts at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Supervisor Horvath emphasized Mahin’s insider expertise: “Sarah knows the County, she knows LAHSA, and she knows how to get things done.” Barger underscored her strengths in multi-agency coordination.
Watch a report: LA County supervisors pull funding from homeless authority
Rebuilding the Homelessness Machine
Mahin will be responsible for merging the $875 million Housing for Health program, which serves 57,000 people with over 600 staff, and the Homeless Initiative under one county umbrella. This includes reabsorbing nearly $350 million in contracts previously controlled by LAHSA.
She is tasked with drafting the department’s strategic framework, securing contracts, and managing a proposed annual salary of $375,000 — a figure notably higher than the $232,000 earned by county supervisors. The timeline for full departmental launch is set for July 1, 2026.
Stakes Are Sky-High
The move comes amid rising pressure: over 75,000 people are unhoused in Los Angeles County, making it the largest homelessness crisis in the nation. Recent audit findings and investigative reports criticized LAHSA for failing to track billions in spending and revealed a federal probe into alleged fraud.
In response, the new department is being pitched not as government expansion but as a streamlined alternative. “This is not more government, it is better government,” Horvath declared, doubling down on the county’s intention to rebuild public trust in homelessness services.
By leveraging Housing for Health’s service infrastructure and Mahin’s cross-sector experience, county leaders are betting big on centralized control to fix a fractured system. Whether this gambit leads to lasting change or bureaucratic bottlenecks will be revealed in the years ahead.
