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Homeless Health Care Los Angeles files layoff notices as county restructures homeless services

Homeless Health Care Los Angeles files layoff notices as county restructures homeless services

Money Moves Los Angeles, CA local

County ends HHCLA contract and pauses syringe distribution as 134 layoffs take effect and HIV cluster grows

November 3rd, 2026: Layoffs take effect for 134 workers

Overview

Updated Yesterday

Los Angeles County ended its contract with Homeless Health Care Los Angeles on Nov. 3, and the nonprofit laid off 134 workers, including 117 at the county's Skid Row Care Campus. The county had already paused syringe and pipe distribution at the campus in August, as an HIV cluster grew in Skid Row.

The county linked 15 people to the HIV cluster as of Nov. 1, 11 of them women, and is investigating drug use and sexual transmission. It is replacing HHCLA with St. Joseph Center and LA Community Health Project, which have hired more than 80 former HHCLA employees, nearly 90% of them from the nonprofit. Ricky Bluthenthal, a USC public health professor, said reducing safe injection supplies during an active HIV outbreak is particularly dangerous.

Why it matters

Los Angeles County ended a harm reduction contract during an HIV cluster, leaving 134 workers jobless and drug users with fewer safe supplies.

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Key Indicators

134
Positions laid off Nov. 3
Homeless Health Care Los Angeles laid off 134 workers, including 117 at the Skid Row Care Campus.
117
Layoffs at Skid Row Care Campus
Most of the affected workers were based at the county's flagship Skid Row hub.
15
HIV cases linked in Skid Row
County public health linked 15 people to an HIV cluster as of Nov. 1; 11 were women.
80+
Former HHCLA workers hired by new providers
St. Joseph Center and LA Community Health Project hired more than 80, nearly 90% from HHCLA, the county said.
24
Authorized syringe programs in LA County
Two are based in or next to Skid Row, as the county paused its own distribution.

Voices

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People Involved

VK
Va Lecia Adams Kellum
Former CEO, Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority
Stepped down after the county voted to pull LAHSA funding
 Gita O'Neill
Gita O'Neill
Interim CEO, Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority
Oversees LAHSA's transition to a county-run department
RB
Ricky Bluthenthal
Professor of population and public health sciences, USC Keck School of Medicine
Criticized the county's pause on syringe distribution during an HIV cluster

Organizations Involved

Homeless Health Care Los Angeles
Homeless Health Care Los Angeles
Nonprofit harm reduction provider
Contract ended Nov. 3; 134 workers laid off, including 117 at Skid Row Care Campus

Los Angeles harm reduction and health care provider whose county contract ended Nov. 3.
Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority
Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority
Joint city-county authority
Defunded by county; transitioning to county-run department

Coordinates homeless services and contracts with nonprofit providers across Los Angeles.
Los Angeles County Department of Homeless Services and Housing
Los Angeles County Department of Homeless Services and Housing
County department
Took over homeless services from LAHSA

Los Angeles County department launched to run homeless services directly.
SEIU Local 721
SEIU Local 721
Union
Represents displaced outreach workers; pushing county to hire them

Service Employees International Union Local 721, representing LA county and city workers including homeless outreach staff.
LA
Los Angeles County Department of Health Services
County health department
Paused syringe and pipe distribution at Skid Row Care Campus; ended HHCLA contract Nov. 3

Runs the county's Skid Row Care Campus and oversees health services for homeless residents.

Timeline

2026 November 2026

9 events Latest: November 3rd, 2026 · 1 week ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Layoffs take effect for 134 workers

    Latest Layoff

    The 134 positions ended, including 117 at the Skid Row Care Campus, as the county terminated its contract with Homeless Health Care Los Angeles.

  2. County terminates HHCLA contract as layoffs take effect

    Layoff

    The county ended its contract with Homeless Health Care Los Angeles. The nonprofit laid off 134 workers, including 117 at the Skid Row Care Campus. New providers St. Joseph Center and LA Community Health Project took over, and the county said they had hired more than 80 former HHCLA employees.

  3. HIV cluster linked to 15 cases in Skid Row

    Public Health

    The county public health department had linked 15 people to an HIV cluster in Skid Row as of Nov. 1, 11 of them women. It is investigating substance use and sexual transmission.

  4. Homeless Health Care Los Angeles files WARN notices

    Legal Filing

    Three notices covering 134 positions across three Los Angeles sites, with layoffs effective November 3.

  5. County announces HHCLA contract change

    Government

    The county announced the contractor change in an Aug. 28 statement, the same month the syringe and pipe pause began.

  6. County pauses syringe and pipe distribution at Skid Row Care Campus

    Policy

    The county stopped handing out syringes and pipes at its flagship Skid Row hub in August, saying community and business concerns prompted the pause. Naloxone, wound care and safe sex supplies continued.

  7. LAHSA layoffs take effect

    Layoff

    Last day for 284 LAHSA workers; county has offered roles to 69 outreach workers, and 68 accepted.

  8. LAHSA announces 284 layoffs

    Layoff

    The authority says 284 employees will be laid off, with last days June 30, citing the county funding cut.

  9. County launches its own homeless department

    Government

    Los Angeles County opens the Department of Homeless Services and Housing after supervisors voted to pull $300 million from LAHSA.

Scenarios

1

Layoffs proceed as filed; 134 workers separate November 3

Likely Resolves by Nov 30, 2026

Discussed by: California EDD records; county officials

The 134 layoffs took effect Nov. 3. The county terminated its contract with Homeless Health Care Los Angeles the same day, and 117 of the affected workers were based at the Skid Row Care Campus.

2

County hires displaced workers into new homeless department

Possible Resolves by Jan 31, 2027

Discussed by: Los Angeles County Department of Health Services

The county did not directly hire this round. Its new contractors, St. Joseph Center and LA Community Health Project, hired more than 80 former HHCLA employees, nearly 90% of them from HHCLA, the county said.

3

Another provider files layoff notices as LA's homeless restructuring continues

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: LayoffIQ and CaliforniaWarn tracking of sector filings

Other LAHSA-funded providers follow with their own WARN notices as contracts shift to the county department. The restructuring is mid-flight; the county is still standing up its workforce while existing providers lose their funding base. Tracking services already show a wave of health and social-assistance filings across Los Angeles County.

4

HIV cluster in Skid Row grows

Possible Resolves by Jan 31, 2027

Discussed by: County public health officials; USC professor Ricky Bluthenthal

The county has linked 15 people to the cluster as of Nov. 1. If testing expands, more cases may be identified. The county is investigating drug use and sexual transmission.

5

County resumes syringe distribution at Skid Row Care Campus

Possible Resolves by Jan 31, 2027

Discussed by: Los Angeles County Department of Health Services

The county paused syringe and pipe distribution in August and has not set a date to resume. It still hands out naloxone, wound care and safe sex supplies.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1995

Los Angeles County health budget crisis (1995)

Supervisors cut hundreds of millions of dollars from the county health department to close a budget deficit. The county closed clinics and temporarily shut its busiest trauma center, and thousands of public health workers lost jobs.

Then

Emergency rooms strained as the safety net shrank; the crisis drew federal relief and forced the county to restructure how it delivered health services.

Now

The county rebuilt a health care network under direct county control, a model it is now applying to homeless services.

Why this matters now

Shows the pattern when Los Angeles County cuts a safety-net function: mass layoffs first, then a county-run rebuild.

2011

California eliminates redevelopment agencies (2011)

Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation dissolving all of California's local redevelopment agencies, redirecting their property tax revenue to counties, schools, and cities. Thousands of agency employees lost their jobs as offices closed.

Then

Local development projects stalled and staff scattered; some functions were reassigned to counties and cities.

Now

Became a template for a higher government eliminating a local entity outright and redistributing its role.

Why this matters now

Illuminates the mechanism: a funding body can end an agency's mandate and reassign its workforce, leaving employees to chase the new employer.

Sources

(6)
California Employment Development Department Layoff IQ CBS Los Angeles CaliforniaWarn LAist Today's Layoffs