The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 on Tuesday to create a new chief chaplain position tasked with pairing county mental health clinics with local faith communities serving unhoused residents. The chaplain will work directly with clients of the Department of Mental Health, provide spiritual support to those clients and their family members, and coordinate with the county's existing faith-based partners, according to the approved motion.
The motion was authored by Third District Supervisor Lindsey Horvath and co-authored by Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger, as reported by the Los Angeles Daily News. It directs the hiring of a chaplain to interface with Department of Mental Health clinics and calls for incorporating a faith-based perspective into departmental programming, services, operations and community partnerships aimed at unhoused people and those re-entering housing. Barger said a chaplain can bridge clinical programs and faith communities, describing the position as a clinical investment rather than a religious one, per the same account.
Unlike chaplains who typically serve in institutional settings such as hospitals or jails, the motion describes this role as serving the public at large and entire communities rather than a single congregation. Chaplain support, per the motion's language, will be based on the requests of the person being served, and a faith-based subcommittee will provide spiritual counseling meant to address behavioral health needs among unhoused residents.
Supervisors Push for Non-Denominational Reach
Supervisors Janice Hahn and Holly Mitchell wanted the chaplain to be non-denominational, serving people of all faiths as well as those who do not believe in a higher power, the outlet's report notes. Hahn, who said she is Christian, said the chaplain should have worked across many faith disciplines and that faith-based approaches should be included in mental health treatment only when the person receiving care does not object.
Department of Mental Health Executive Director Lisa Wong said candidates for the role should approach spirituality broadly, according to the same report. The position builds on work the department already does through its internal Faith-Based Advocacy Council and its monthly Service Area Clergy Roundtables, which link local houses of worship to county mental health resources, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health.
The county has long used volunteer clergy in other departments, including chaplains within the fire department and the sheriff's department. Men's Central Jail chaplains are volunteers sent by outside faith-based institutions; the Los Angeles Catholic Diocese, for instance, sent Archbishop Jose H. Gomez to say Mass and meet with inmates there, and he also said Mass and distributed Holy Communion at the Century Regional Detention Facility in 2025. The St. Camillus Center likewise sends chaplains to the Los Angeles County Medical Center. The International Fellowship of Chaplains describes chaplains broadly as “spiritual paramedics” who help people cope during crises, assess needs, and refer them to mental health services or community support networks.
Costs And Scope Still Unresolved
The Department of Mental Health has not stated what the chaplain's salary will be, and the board is expected to receive more details on costs, roles and responsibilities in three months. The position will be funded through the department's own budget.
The hire lands as the department grapples with a workforce vacancy rate of roughly 28 percent, leaving nearly 1,900 budgeted positions unfilled, according to CityWatch LA. The department serves a county population of nearly 9.8 million and is the largest county mental health department in the country, per the California Health Care Foundation. Nearly half of county residents, 46.1 percent, rely on Medi-Cal for health coverage, the foundation's data shows, underscoring how central the public safety net has become for low-income and unhoused residents alike.
Faith Outreach Meets A Reshuffled Homeless System
The chief chaplain role also arrives alongside a broader overhaul of how LA County handles homelessness. The 2026 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count estimated 73,040 people experiencing homelessness countywide, a 1.2 percent increase over 2025, according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. Members of the Los Angeles Continuum of Care voted 331-9 this month to shift core administrative functions for regional homelessness programs from LAHSA to the county's new Department of Homeless Services and Housing, as reported by FOX 11.```json That reorganization follows years of scrutiny over LAHSA's performance and is meant to streamline oversight of regional programs.
The county has previously leaned on faith institutions to reach unhoused residents who may distrust government agencies. The Faith Collaborative to End Homelessness launched in 2018. Supervisor Horvath authored the chaplain motion.
