Shortly after HFH formed in 2012, there was a need to accelerate the availability of housing for people experiencing homelessness who were facing difficulties in securing housing.  Access to rental subsidies is a limiting factor in the work to end homelessness. In order to address this need, HFH launched the Flexible Housing Subsidy Pool (FHSP), a locally funded rental subsidy program.  The program launched in February 2014 with an initial contribution of $14 million from Los Angeles County and $4 million from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.

The FHSP is operated by a non-profit contractor Brilliant Corners (BC). BC fulfills a range of functions that are necessary to nimbly and responsively operate in the dynamic Los Angeles real estate market.

Since its launch, FHSP has housed people in the private rental market; it has provided subsidies in project based buildings with tax credits; housed people experiencing homelessness who are medically fragile in enriched residential care environments; and in interim housing. The FHSP was designed so that other public and private partners, including other County departments, would be able to add funds to serve clients that they prioritize for housing.  Since the FHSP was developed it has expanded to provide housing paired with ICMS for several additional programs.

The agencies and programs using FHSP are listed below:

• Department of Mental Health (DMH)
• Health Services (Health Services)
• Department of Public Health, Division of HIV and STD Programs (Health ServicesP)
• Probation Department
• LA Care
• Single Adult Model (SAM)
• Office of Diversion and Reentry (ODR)
• Women’s Initiatives with Services and Housing (WISH)
• The Housing and Jobs Collaborative
• Medically Vulnerable Probationers (MVP)

Create 10,000 units by providing rental subsidies, working collaboratively to end homelessness in LA County, reducing inappropriate use of expensive healthcare resources, and improving health outcomes of vulnerable populations.

• Major Expansion: In response to recent initiatives including the Office of Diversion and Reentry, Whole Person Care, Homeless Initiatives, and Measure H, HFH is poised to enter a period of rapid expansion: 1) Ramping up to provide an additional 3,000 new permanent supportive housing placements over the next year; 2) Maintaining a Rapid Rehousing program that provides opportunities for job training; 3) Managing a benefits advocacy program co-located in 14 DPSS offices countywide; multiple field based locations; and co-located in the County jails with goals to serve over 10,000 people experiencing homelessness each year; 4) Coordinating the implementation of over 50 multi-disciplinary street based engagement teams through the County over the next three years; and 5) adding over 1000 beds of interim housing throughout the county to provide homeless people exits from the street and on route to permanent housing.
• Health Agency Integration: The formation of the Health Agency is particularly important as the County looks forward to changing the way health care services are delivered to people experiencing homelessness. For example, the Health Services, the Department of Mental Health, and the Department of Public Health are currently working together to ensure that all tenants in permanent supportive housing have seamless access to Intensive Case Management Services, specialty mental health services, and substance use and prevention services. Additionally, the three departments are working with other key County departments to implement a coordinated program called SuperConnect, that provides integrated case conferencing and problem solving for individuals who have frequent involvement in various systems of care without appropriate resolution.
• Housing for Individuals Involved in Criminal Justice: While HFH’s original focus was on high utilizers of the health care system, with the creation of the Office of Diversion and Reentry and Health Services assuming responsibility of jail health, HFH has taken an increased role in aligning housing activities with the discharge needs of the criminal justice system.  The Office of Diversion and Reentry has created opportunities for people to be diverted from the criminal justice system into supportive housing and intensive services.