Mobile Homeless Connect exemplifies California’s all-of-government, client-centered approach to reducing barriers to housing

State hopes to replicate the successful effort in other communities across California

LOS ANGELES – Governor Gavin Newsom today joined service providers leading outreach in encampments along the 110 Corridor in Los Angeles as part of a new state-local partnership to help people experiencing homelessness access the resources they need to get off the streets and into housing and services. 

Mobile Homeless Connect brings state and local services directly to individuals experiencing homelessness where they are, instead of requiring people to travel to a patchwork of government offices where services are usually available. The state hopes to replicate the successful new effort in other communities across California. 

“The status quo on homelessness is simply unacceptable – if we want to see different results, we have to do things differently,” said Governor Newsom. “Government paperwork is hard enough for those of us who have ready access to computers and cars. But people living in encampments often struggle to stitch together the services they need to get their lives back on track. Mobile Homeless Connect recognizes this reality and offers a new state-local approach to address it.”The three-day pilot concluding today engaged more than 100 people at five sites, providing them access to an estimated 260 state and local benefits or services. People experiencing homelessness were provided assistance with state and county services including offers of shelter or housing; help accessing a birth certificate, ID and Driver’s License records; Medi-Cal, CalFresh and CalWorks enrollment; workforce training opportunities and unemployment or disability benefits signups; and COVID-19 testing and vaccinations against COVID-19 and Monkeypox. Estimated total engagements include 85 with the Department of Motor Vehicles, 52 with the Employment Development Department, 69 with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services and 41 with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

Led by the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency (BCSH), six state agencies and multiple state departments participated in Mobile Homeless Connect, along with Los Angeles County government departments and local community-based non-profit organizations.

“It is so important to meet individuals experiencing homelessness where they are, instead of requiring them to seek out and travel to government offices for the services they need,” said BCSH Secretary Lourdes Castro Ramírez. “Even when people are aware of the services available to them it is often difficult, if not impossible, for them to travel to locations where they can apply for those services.”

Yesterday, Governor Newsom announced $694 million in new Homekey awards, bringing the total projects funded to more than 200 statewide, creating more than 12,500 permanent and interim homes. The Governor’s multibillion-dollar homeless housing investments will provide more than 55,000 new housing units and treatment slots in the coming years. Building on last year’s historic $12 billion investment to help get the most vulnerable people off the streets, the state budget this year invests an additional $2 billion in behavioral health housing and encampment rehousing strategies, creating a total $14 billion package to confront the state’s housing crisis.

Over the next several days, the participating agencies, departments and community-based organizations will evaluate the Mobile Homeless Connect pilot in Los Angeles and provide the administration with recommendations on how it may be replicated in other areas of the state. A full list of state, local and nonprofit service providers that participated in Mobile Homeless Connect can be found below: