Providing a Voice for the Unhoused

The Homeless Youth Forum of Los Angeles (HYFLA) and the Lived Experience Advisory Board (LEAB) have recently undergone program updates and team growth to continue their work providing strategic recommendations to LAHSA and its partners on the design, management, and evaluation of the Los Angeles Continuum of Care.

HYFLA works to address youth homelessness in Los Angeles County by providing the perspective of youths who experienced homelessness to LAHSA on program development, policy, and program and system performance evaluation.

HYFLA’s recent updates have included:

• Now consists of six members who bring perspectives from the foster care system, juvenile justice and probation, and domestic violence
• Hiring previous HYFLA member, Alex Furtado, as the new Youth Action Board Coordinator
• Revising the HYFLA Charter to ensure proper communication between the board and members
• HYFLA will provide feedback and approval on the Youth Homeless Demonstration Project Coordinated Community Action Plan and Requests for Proposals
• Expanding HYFLA to create more youth engagement with the help of True Colors United

HYFLA is still looking for new members, if you would like to join you can apply at the following link: https://tinyurl.com/575xk7mn

LEAB seeks to use the unique voice of those with lived experience of homelessness to provide advice and counsel to LAHSA and its partners in support of efforts to end homelessness.

LEAB’s updates have included:

• Recruited 10 new members since September for a total of 17 board members; each SPA is now represented
• Provided feedback on the new Coordinated Entry System Matching Policy, the USICH strategic plan, the Department of Health Services’ Homeless Prevention Unit, and the Blue-Ribbon Commission on Homelessness
• Created a request for collaboration form on the LEAB webpage
• Working with LAHSA’s Interim Housing Department to collect feedback from people living in interim housing
• Collaborating with the City of Los Angeles’ Department of Disability focus group

Both HYFLA and LEAB are bringing more people with lived experiences to the table to build equity in LAHSA’s decision-making and ensure the unique voices of those with lived experiences are heard and incorporated in addressing homelessness.