Los Angeles County’s Pathway Home program moved 29 people living in encampments along Caltrans embankments bordering the 405 Freeway into safe interim housing, where they will receive supportive services to support their transition into permanent housing.

The Department of Homeless Services and Housing (HSH) collaborated with the Office of Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell to conduct the Pathway Home operation on May 27 and 28. Outreach teams from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) and the service provider St. Joseph Center worked for weeks to build trust with unsheltered residents who accepted offers of interim housing. Service providers PATH and HOPICS will work with residents at various interim housing sites.

“This Pathway Home operation reflects both the multi-jurisdictional reality of the homelessness crisis and what is possible when government agencies, service providers, and community partners work together with urgency and compassion to bring people indoors and connect them to the care and stability they deserve,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell. “For too long, individuals living along the 405 Freeway corridor faced dangerous and inhumane conditions. Through sustained outreach and relationship-building, we were able to earn the trust of our unhoused neighbors and support their transition through the County’s Pathway Home process toward permanent housing, healing, and hope. I am grateful to every partner who helped make this operation possible and remain committed to advancing solutions that address homelessness with dignity and accountability.”

This operation was also made possible by support from Caltrans; the City of Inglewood; the City of Los Angeles; the Office of LA City Councilmember Traci Park, whose district includes the Westchester area; the Inglewood Police Department; the Los Angeles Police Department; and the California Highway Patrol. LA County Departments of Mental Health and Animal Care and Control also provided support.

“The City of Inglewood is proud to have collaborated with the Los Angeles County Department of Homeless Services and Housing on the Pathway Home initiative,” said City of Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts, Jr. “This was a collaborative, multi-agency effort that required extensive planning, coordination, and resource allocation over several months. Through this partnership, the initiative achieved a humane and compassionate outcome for both our unsheltered neighbors and the surrounding community residents.”

“It’s inspiring to watch our teams at work on Pathway Home operations—like this one near the 405 Freeway—as they build trust with unhoused individuals, bring them inside, and help launch them onto a pathway to permanent housing,” said Sarah Mahin, Director of HSH. “We are grateful for our many community partners who came together to bring 29 LA County residents safely off the streets.”

Once people have vacated the area and moved into motels and other interim housing, Caltrans is expected to clear the area of debris and undertake mitigation measures to minimize the likelihood of future encampments.

“For months, residents raised serious concerns about the public safety, sanitation, environmental, and humanitarian conditions along the 405 Freeway corridor between La Cienega and La Tijera — and they were right to be concerned,” said Los Angeles City Councilmember Traci Park, Council District 11. “No one should be living in dangerous and unsanitary conditions along a freeway embankment and flood control corridor. Because of our collaborative efforts, dozens of people have now been connected to housing and supportive services, and trash and hazardous waste is being cleared.”

LA County conducts Pathway Home, its signature encampment resolution effort, in partnership with cities and unincorporated areas. The program brings people off the streets into immediately available interim housing accompanied by a comprehensive suite of supportive services, and, ultimately, into safe, permanent housing.

The Inglewood/Westchester operation is part of the County’s multi-year initiative funded by a $51 million Encampment Resolution Fund (ERF) grant providing resources and housing to people in encampments along state highways and the Los Angeles and San Gabriel rivers. Past operations occurred in the cities of Inglewood, Downey, Norwalk, Bellflower, South Gate, Santa Fe Springs, and in unincorporated West Athens.

Pathway Home is partially funded by Measure A, a ½-cent sales tax approved by voters in November 2024 to repeal and replace Measure H. Funding also pays for removal of any non-operational recreational vehicles (RVs), trash, and other debris that accumulates at encampments. It also covers costs associated with securing interim housing sites, such as motels and site security.

This latest operation is LA County’s 76th Pathway Home encampment resolution. Since the program’s launch in August 2023, nearly 2,100 LA County residents have moved off the streets, with more than 600 permanently housed. These operations have also contributed to the removal of more than 1,100 RVs from the streets.