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In 2017, LA County voters approved Measure H, which increased sales tax to secure ongoing funding for homelessness services, housing, and engagement. The Chief Executive Office - Homeless Initiative manages this funding, distributing it to maximize its impact. Concurrently, sibling agencies in LA County, such as the Los Angeles Homeless Services Agency (LAHSA), Department of Mental Health (DMH), and Department of Public Health (DPH), use Measure H funds to independently assist those experiencing homelessness, separate from the Department of Health Services (DHS). The Housing for Health (HFH) Division, part of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, was created in 2013 to address the medical and housing needs of homeless individuals. HFH focuses on a continuum of care that addresses acute clinical, social, and housing priorities of this vulnerable community, often dealing with disabilities, comorbid diagnoses, untreated medical conditions, and early mortality. While DHS operates independently, it partners with LA County's DMH and DPH under the County Health Services Administration. HFH provides services through a continuum of care that engages individuals at various levels of homelessness, from street-based outreach to interim housing, sobering centers, enriched residential care, benefits advocacy, and permanent supportive housing. Currently, HFH houses approximately 13,000 individuals in permanent supportive housing, making it the largest provider of PSH in Los Angeles County. To successfully house homeless individuals, HFH has established partnerships and connections within the complex homeless service provider network. These collaborations include agreements with nonprofit providers, federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), independent municipalities, and community groups. Here is a list of community partners: The People Concern (TPC) Home at Last (HAL) People Assisting the Homeless (PATH) First to Serve (FTS) Los Angeles Family Housing (LAFH) Exodus Recovery Inc Holliday’s Helping Hands (HHH) John Wesley Comprehensive Health (JWCH) Brilliant Corners (BC) Given HFH's pre-existing relationships within the homeless services community and its experience in working with homeless individuals with medical issues, it was well-suited to implement this program. The pandemic's demands on public health resources required building upon existing resources and agencies. Thus, HFH took a leading role in responding to COVID-19, engaging the large and vulnerable homeless population, which numbered 66,433 sheltered and unsheltered individuals according to the last LAHSA Point in Time Count in 2020. In response, LA County's Board of Supervisors allocated funding to DPH, which then funded HFH Covid Response Teams through the federal CARES Act and emergency County funding ​ ​ ​