Board of Supervisors Appoint First Director of New Department of Homeless Services and Housing

Sarah Mahin, the Director of Housing for Health, will lead the County’s efforts to consolidate and enhance homelessness service delivery

LOS ANGELES – Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved the appointment of Sarah Mahin as the first Director of the new Department of Homeless Services and Housing (DHSH), the County’s consolidated department focused on homelessness solutions.

In her role, Mahin will help lead the County’s realignment of its homelessness and housing services system into the new department, overseeing the transition of services from multiple County departments into a central agency.

“We need bold, effective leadership to tackle the homelessness crisis and I believe Sarah Mahin is the right choice to lead our County’s new Department of Homeless Services and Housing,” stated Supervisor Kathryn Barger, Chair of the Board of Supervisors. “Her decades of experience and proven ability to deliver system-wide results will help us build a more accountable, coordinated response. I’m confident she will bring the focus and innovation this moment demands.”

“I am pleased to appoint Sarah Mahin as the new Director of Los Angeles County’s Department of Homeless Services and Housing,” said Chair Pro Tem and First District Supervisor Hilda L. Solis. “Sarah has been a driving force behind some of the County’s most impactful housing and health efforts, including her close collaboration with my office in delivering on the Skid Row Action Plan, the Skid Row Care Campus, and the Every Woman Housed initiative—key projects I have been proud to champion. Her leadership as the former Director of the County’s Housing for Health Division has already transformed how we serve our most vulnerable residents and has served as the blueprint for the new department she will now oversee. As she steps into this new role, I am confident she will not only advance comprehensive, person-centered solutions to homelessness but also be instrumental in strengthening partnerships with all 88 cities across Los Angeles County as we work together to end homelessness.”

“I’m thrilled to welcome Sarah Mahin as Director of our new County Department of Homeless Services and Housing,” said Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath. “She’s exactly who we need, ready to hit the ground running with the urgency this moment demands. Sarah knows the County, she knows LAHSA, and she knows how to get things done. Her deep experience with contract management, data integration, and creating a culture of innovation and progress will be instrumental in charting a new way forward for homeless services in LA County. Sarah is a collaborative leader who will bring service providers and all of our city partners together in this vital effort.”

“This is a moment to tackle our homelessness crisis in a new and innovative way,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “Sarah is ready to hit the ground running and with her knowledge of the County, I have no doubt that she will be able to steer this new department with the grace, know-how, and authority it needs.”

Sarah Mahin currently serves as the Director of Housing for Health (HFH) — the gold-standard division in the LA County Department of Health Services that is the blueprint for the new Department of Homeless Services and Housing. For the past six years, Mahin has served on the leadership team of HFH, where she oversees a $875 million budget, more than 600 staff and contracts with hundreds of community-based organizations.

In her current role, Mahin is responsible for multiple programs that provide housing and services for people with complex health and behavioral health conditions. Mahin has worked in homeless services for two decades, including at the US Department of Veteran Affairs and Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA). At LAHSA, she served as the Director of Policy and Systems and coordinated services across hundreds of organizations and multiple County and city departments, developing and implementing policy solutions, and building strategic partnerships.

“I am honored to serve as the inaugural director of the Department of Homeless Services and Housing, and I am grateful to the Board of Supervisors,” Mahin said. “For me, this work has always been rooted in innovation, collaboration, and accountability to the people and communities that we serve. I am committed to leading with those values at the forefront. Together — with housed and unhoused neighbors, frontline workers, community partners, and local leaders — we will build a department grounded in dignity, inclusion, and real solutions that meet this moment and the future.”

Mahin earned a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Georgetown University.

On April 1, 2025, the Board of Supervisors approved a motion, authored by Supervisor Horvath and co-authored by Supervisor Barger, to establish the County’s first-ever department focused on homelessness solutions. On July 1, 2025, the Board of Supervisors approved the new department name. The goal of this new department is increased accountability, improved service delivery for people experiencing homelessness, and reducing the burden on the providers who serve them every day. DHSH will be officially established by January 1, 2026.

A robust community engagement plan has been developed, and community meetings will be announced soon. In the interim, the public may submit questions or comments about the new department here. For more information on the development of the Los Angeles County Department of Homeless Services and Housing, please visit ceo.lacounty.gov/dh.

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Photo of Sarah Mahin, Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Homeless Services and Housing