LAHSA Opens 2023–2024 Winter Shelter Program

The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority launched its Winter Shelter Program last month to provide additional shelter during cold and potentially wet winter weather.

This year’s Winter Shelter Program includes eight sites with 322 beds across Los Angeles County. They will operate through March 31, 2024 under the seasonal program.

The Seasonal Winter Shelter Program operates sites 24 hours a day, seven days a week, during the winter shelter season. Of the 322 beds, 197 beds will operate in the city of Los Angeles and 125 beds in the rest of the county. These temporary emergency shelters provide a warm place to sleep, meals, and access to supportive services and housing assistance.

In addition to these beds, the Augmented Winter Shelter Program offers additional capacity via motel vouchers that become available under specific severe or inclement weather conditions.

The Augmented Winter Shelter Program is activated when the County Office of Emergency Management deems it necessary considering the following criteria:

• The National Weather Service (NWS) forecast calls for three (3) days of low daytime temperatures accompanied by night wind chill temperatures of 32 degrees or less.
• The forecast calls for 1 inch of rain in 24 hours.
• The forecast calls for three (3) consecutive days of 1/-4 inches of rain or more accompanied by temperatures at or below 50 degrees.
• The National Weather Service (NWS) issues a flood watch or warning.
• Conditions not previously identified by the plan but for which it would be prudent to do so based upon critical need.

The flexibility provided by using motel rooms in regions of LA County experiencing severe weather led to an increase in Augmented Winter Shelter Program usage. Instead of being limited by an augmented program that utilized a few hundred congregate beds in a few regions across the county, the reimagined Augmented Winter Shelter Program made motel and hotel rooms available to people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in every region with severe weather.

As a result, last season’s Winter Shelter Program helped 176% more people while only costing 20% more money than the previous winter season.

The Winter Shelter Program began on November 1, 2023, and ends on March 31, 2024. Individuals who are experiencing unsheltered homelessness and who are seeking shelter during the winter season can contact 2–1–1 LA County (dial 2–1–1) to find out about available interim housing resources.