Los Angeles County is launching its first centralized dispatch center designed to connect unsheltered individuals with essential housing, treatment, and services, according to officials. This new initiative will open to public requests starting Tuesday.
The Emergency Centralized Response Center (ECRC) began operations in January, aiming to streamline the intake process for various services and programs directed at people experiencing homelessness. It consolidates efforts from numerous county and city departments, agencies, and outreach teams.
Since its inception, the center has managed 436 referrals, with each referral potentially involving multiple unsheltered individuals, as reported by county officials. Until now, the dispatch center has operated primarily through referrals from government officials.
Beginning Tuesday, however, the general public can submit reports through LA-HOP, a homeless outreach portal previously managed by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. This new access is expected to significantly increase the volume of requests directed to the dispatch center.
County officials recently provided journalists with a tour of the facility, emphasizing that the establishment of the ECRC prevents inefficient overlaps. “Prior to the center’s creation, outreach teams often converged on the same encampment site, which was not an effective use of resources,” stated Elizabeth “Libby” Boyce, who supervised the ECRC’s implementation.
As a centralized hub, the ECRC is able to coordinate across multiple agencies to respond swiftly. It can direct the efforts of 150 outreach teams to provide timely interim housing and necessary support to unsheltered individuals.
Concerns arose among city leaders when county supervisors decided to redirect hundreds of millions of dollars in homeless service funding from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority to oversee it directly. They feared this shift could disrupt the coordination between city and county efforts.
During the recent tour, officials highlighted the ECRC as a model for effective collaboration between both governmental levels. L.A. City Councilmember Nithya Raman noted optimism regarding the potential for better outcomes, stating, “By establishing an Emergency Centralized Response Center, we will be able to expand our access to data, increase both accountability and coordination, and ensure that every dollar we are spending as a city—and by extension we as a region—is going further.”
The ECRC functions with four teams responsible for processing service requests, dispatching outreach teams, and updating referral statuses. Each team is assigned to two service planning areas within the county.
The dispatch center also benefits from daily on-site representatives from various county departments, including Mental Health, Health Services, Public Health, Substance Abuse Prevention and Control, Military and Veteran Affairs, and Social Services, alongside LAHSA and the City Administrative Officer.
In addition to processing requests, the ECRC coordinates initiatives like Inside Safe and the Pathway Home program, as well as clean-up efforts in unincorporated areas. Officials claim that combining resources from multiple agencies enhances overall relief efforts.
Recently, the dispatch center has been active in Whittier Narrows, a large park situated in the San Gabriel Valley, where various entities work to address the needs of unsheltered individuals.
Boyce explained the necessity of facilitating discussions among the many organizations involved in the area, including state Fish and Wildlife, the Army Corps of Engineers, and city and county representatives.
Director Donald Holt mentioned the challenges presented by the multi-jurisdictional Ballona Creek area in West L.A. Previously, different local law enforcement agencies operated independently, which led to unsheltered persons remaining in areas that had not been effectively cleared.
Through coordinated efforts, Holt reported that the dispatch center was able to engage with about 45 individuals during one day and assist 15 in finding shelter at Ballona Creek.
In a unique strategy, the dispatch center collects and updates information daily regarding available beds across the county from publicly funded interim housing suppliers. This allows the ECRC to provide options for temporary housing, even when specific jurisdictions may not have beds available.
Unlike previous approaches to intake, the ECRC ensures that the individual who requested assistance receives updates. This is part of a deliberate effort to create a feedback loop aimed at fostering trust.
Instead of merely receiving an automated closure notification for their LA-HOP request, individuals are now informed in real-time about resolutions being planned in response to their needs.
When the ECRC began its operations, it quickly found itself thrust into action due to wildfires that erupted shortly afterward in January.
Boyce noted, “As an emergency entity, we can become the conduit to the unsheltered during a natural disaster. This is precisely what we had to do during the wildfires.”
During this emergency, the dispatch center successfully evacuated 17 interim housing shelters, supplied over 6,000 N-95 masks, and relocated 500 unsheltered persons.
The concept for the ECRC was proposed by L.A. County Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Kathryn Barger, and was approved by the Board of Supervisors in a motion passed in September.
Supervisors Horvath emphasized the unprecedented pace of execution, stating, “We’ve gone from a motion in September to a space operational in December and then responding to the county’s largest-ever disaster by January.”
Looking ahead, officials at the dispatch center remain focused on building trust through engagement with unsheltered individuals.
Holt explained, “Most individuals facing homelessness in a specific area have established ties there, making them reluctant to relocate.” He expressed the importance of gradually enhancing rapport to encourage cooperation in relocation.
County officials are open to integrating additional government agencies into the ECRC operations. “If any city or municipality wants to come and join us, they may, and then we can help be a little bit more direct with helping them with their unsheltered issues,” Boyce said.
As the ECRC prepares for an expected increase in requests, Boyce conveyed confidence in the team’s readiness to handle the demand. “We have room for more, and we’re ready to take it on.”
For individuals who have experiences with the dispatch center, the county invites feedback and has provided a contact for submissions.
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