Leaders of the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency has presented two community organizations with funding to support their homelessness prevention efforts in the South Los Angeles area.
The Coalition of Humane Immigration Rights and Watts Labor Community Action Committee received $1 million each on Thursday, June 11, and that money will go into the hands of individuals and families facing housing insecurity.
This is the last in a series of recognitions supporting Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency’s first round of Renter Protection and Homelessness Prevention funding across the county, officials said.
As L.A. County continues investing in solutions to address housing affordability and homelessness, prevention programs are increasingly recognized as a critical component of the response, according to a press release. By connecting residents to rental assistance, stabilization services, legal resources and community-based support, these programs help families remain housed while reducing reliance on costly emergency interventions after a housing crisis occurs.
Long Beach Mayor and LACAHSA Board Chair Rex Richardson signs the checks for CHIRLA and Watts Labor Community Action Committee that will provide funds to help with homelessness prevention efforts in South LA on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at Earvin “Magic” Johnson Recreation Area. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell signs the checks for CHIRLA and Watts Labor Community Action Committee that will provide funds to help with homelessness prevention efforts in South LA on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at Earvin “Magic” Johnson Recreation Area. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Long Beach Mayor and LACAHSA Board Chair Rex Richardson presents CHIRLA and Watts Labor Community Action Committee funds to help with homelessness prevention efforts in South LA on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at Earvin “Magic” Johnson Recreation Area. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell presents CHIRLA and Watts Labor Community Action Committee funds to help with homelessness prevention efforts in South LA on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at Earvin “Magic” Johnson Recreation Area. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Angélica Salas, executive director of CHIRLA, spoke during an event that presented CHIRLA and the Watts Labor Community Action Committee with funds to help with homelessness prevention efforts in South LA on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at Earvin “Magic” Johnson Recreation Area. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Tim Watkins, president and CEO of the Watts Labor Community Action Committee, spoke during an event that presented CHIRLA and WLCAC with funds to help with homelessness prevention efforts in South LA on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at Earvin “Magic” Johnson Recreation Area. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
LACHASA leadership presented CHIRLA and the Watts Labor Community Action Committee with funds to help homelessness prevention efforts in South Los Angeles on Thursday, June 11, 2026. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
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Long Beach Mayor and LACAHSA Board Chair Rex Richardson signs the checks for CHIRLA and Watts Labor Community Action Committee that will provide funds to help with homelessness prevention efforts in South LA on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at Earvin “Magic” Johnson Recreation Area. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
During a Thursday morning event at the Earvin “Magic” Johnson Recreation Area in South L.A., Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell, and Long Beach Mayor and Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency board Chair Rex Richardson presented the funds to the organizations.
“We’re partnering with organizations that are trusted on the ground in the communities,” Richardson said during the event. “It’s more important now than ever that we have local dollars to support our local communities, particularly our immigrant communities, our Black and Brown communities, because we know the federal government is not providing the same level of support that it’s done in the past.
“It’s great that we are in a place locally to provide local support to keep our community stable.”
Both Coalition of Humane Immigration Rights and the Watts Labor Community Action Committee provide critical services that help residents and families remain safely housed, avoid displacement and access support before housing challenges escalate into homelessness, officials said.
“LACHASA’s contributions to the housing spectrum are to support people who are housed and stay housed to stem the inflow of people falling into homelessness, and to increase the available, dignified, affordable homes to Angelinos,” Mitchell said during the event. “Today, we’re here with community partners that are joining LACHASA in reaching our families, friends and neighbors before they lose their housing.”
Officials highlighted how the county’s Measure A funds are being invested and deployed through trusted organizations serving some of the county’s most vulnerable residents and communities.
For Coalition of Humane Immigration Rights, the money will help the organization’s renter-aid program and support community members facing housing insecurity, said Angélica Salas, that organization’s executive director.
“This investment allows us to continue to be that trusted resource,” Salas said during the event. “It allows us to reach families earlier, to provide support sooner, and to connect residents to information and assistance that they need before they face displacement or housing loss, and perhaps most importantly.
“It sends a message that every family matter,” she added, “and that everyone deserves respect, no matter where you come from, where you were born, what language you speak, or what neighborhood you call home.”
At the Watts Labor Community Action Committee, the money will help prevent at least 150 people from becoming homeless because they’ve gone through situations that have caused them to face housing insecurity, said Shannon Murray, general manager of homeless services at Watts Labor Community Action Committee.
“This funding will help strengthen and expand our homelessness prevention and housing stabilization efforts, through rental assistance, supportive services, resource navigation, and direct community support,” said Tim Watkins, Watts Labor Community Action Committee’s president and CEO. “We’ll be able to reach residents earlier and help families remain safely housed before a temporary hardship becomes a long-term crisis.
“We know that stable housing creates community, it allows children to remain connected to their schools and allows families to remain connected to their support systems,” Watkins added during the event. “That is exactly what this investment helps make possible.”