LA Council Watch

← All files

Street Medicine / Physical and Behavioral Health / Homelessness Angelenos / City-Funded Interim Housing Sites

Council File 23-0400

Under review — the city adopted a plan to station medical and mental health teams at interim housing sites, but implementation is stalled in committee as officials sort out funding and partnerships needed to make it work across all sites.

Introduced
2023-04-11
Last changed
2026-08-28
Status
open
Expires
2028-08-10
Committee
Homelessness and Health Committee
Mover
NITHYA RAMAN
Second
EUNISSES HERNANDEZ

Brief

Councilmember Nithya Raman introduced a motion, seconded by Eunisses Hernandez, directing the city to establish street medicine programs and expand city-funded interim housing capacity for homeless individuals. Council adopted the motion 12-0 on May 9, 2023. LAHSA has since submitted implementation documents; the file remains pending in the Housing and Homelessness Committee for ongoing oversight and updates.

Full summary

Introduced by Councilmember Nithya Raman in April 2023, this motion addresses a gap in the city's shelter system: while Los Angeles has invested heavily in interim housing to bring unsheltered people indoors, those sites lack on-site medical, mental health, and addiction services. The motion notes that between 40% and 67% of homeless Angelenos have a mental illness or substance use disorder, and more than 20% have a physical disability — yet the interim housing sites where they stabilize have no clinical support. The motion directs the City Administrative Officer to report back within 30 days with recommendations for deploying Street Medicine teams at all city-funded interim housing sites, covering general medical care, behavioral health, addiction recovery, and care coordination. At the time of the motion, the city had recently expanded its Street Medicine program from one team to three, serving Council Districts 1, 4, 8, 9, 13, and 14. Provider Healthcare in Action estimated the cost of adequate site coverage at $24,000 per weekly half-day clinic per year, and the motion points to just over $4 million sitting unspent in the General City Purposes - Additional Homeless Services fund as a ready source of startup funding. The motion also directs the CAO and Chief Legislative Analyst to pursue additional funding from state and federal grants and potential agreements with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health and Department of Health Services. A key financing mechanism already in place: Street Medicine teams can bill Medi-Cal under 2022 state guidance encouraging managed care plans to fund encampment-based primary care, though that reimbursement does not fully cover costs, especially for uninsured clients. The motion cleared the Housing and Homelessness Committee on April 19, 2023, and the full Council adopted it 12-0 on May 9, 2023. Community Impact Statements followed from the Historic Highland Park and Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Councils. LAHSA, as the coordinating body for the city's homeless response, has been the primary implementing agency; it submitted a follow-up report on August 10, 2026, which was referred back to the Housing and Homelessness Committee two days later. The file remains open and pending in committee, with an expiration date of August 2028, indicating continued Council oversight of how the Street Medicine expansion is proceeding.

Activity (11)

  • 2026-08-28 City Clerk rereferred item to Homelessness and Health Committee, pursuant to Council File No. 26-2000.
  • 2026-08-12 Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority document(s) referred to Housing and Homelessness Committee.
  • 2026-08-10 Document submitted by Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, dated August 10, 2026.
  • 2023-06-05 Community Impact Statement submitted by Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council.
  • 2023-05-11 Community Impact Statement submitted by Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council.
  • 2023-05-10 Council action final.
  • 2023-05-09 Council adopted item, subject to reconsideration, pursuant to Council Rule 51.
  • 2023-05-05 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on May 9, 2023.
  • 2023-04-19 Housing and Homelessness Committee approved item(s) .
  • 2023-04-14 Housing and Homelessness Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on April 19, 2023.
  • 2023-04-11 Motion referred to Housing and Homelessness Committee.

Documents (8)

Council votes (1)

  • 2023-05-09 Vote — 12-0-3 · Regular

View on CFMS →