The County of Los Angeles has observed a rapid rise in Latino residents experiencing homelessness. Latinos face unique barriers that prevent them from accessing supportive services. To reverse this trend, the County intends to utilize targeted universalism to respond to the needs of its diverse communities. The FUSE Executive Fellow will collaborate across the County to refine and implement an action plan to respond to the rise in Latino/a/x homelessness.

Fellowship Dates: October 21, 2024 – October 24, 2025

Salary: Executive Fellows are FUSE employees and receive an annual base salary of $80,000. Fellows can also access various health, dental, and vision insurance benefits. Compensation for this year of public service is not intended to represent market-rate compensation for the experienced professionals in our program.

ABOUT THE FUSE EXECUTIVE FELLOWSHIP

FUSE is a national nonprofit working to expand social and economic opportunities, particularly for communities that have been limited by a history of systemic and institutionalized racism. FUSE partners with local governments and communities to more effectively address pressing challenges by placing experienced professionals within city and county agencies. These FUSE Executive Fellows lead strategic projects designed to advance racial equity and accelerate systems change. Since 2012, FUSE has led over 250 projects in 40 governments across 20 states, impacting the lives of 25 million people.

When designing each fellowship project, FUSE works closely with government partners and local stakeholders to define a scope of work that will achieve substantive progress toward regional priorities. FUSE then conducts an individualized search for each project to ensure that the selected candidate has at least 15 years of professional experience, the required competencies for the role, and deep connections to the communities being served. They are data-driven and results-oriented and able to effectively manage complex projects by developing actionable roadmaps and monitoring progress to completion.

Executive Fellows are hired as FUSE employees and embedded in government agencies for at least one year of full-time work. Throughout their fellowships, they receive training, coaching, and professional support from FUSE to help achieve their project goals. FUSE Executive Fellows bring diverse perspectives and new approaches to their projects. They build strong relationships with diverse arrays of stakeholders, foster alignment within and across various layers of government, and build partnerships between governments and communities.

PROJECT CONTEXT

From 2020 to 2022, the number of Latinos experiencing homelessness nationwide increased by 8%. In Los Angeles County, the increase was by 26% - more than triple the national rate. Given this rapid rise, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors commissioned an assessment to evaluate what unique factors were causing this acceleration in the number of Latinos experiencing homelessness. The research revealed several unique barriers, including language access, documentation and immigration status, and doubled-up homelessness in which individuals and families share crowded housing.

In addition to the research, in May 2023, the Los Angeles County Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion (ARDI) Initiative convened the Latinos Experiencing Homelessness Summit and began building a task force to liaise with County departments, the City of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Agency, and the Los Angeles County Homeless Initiative to advance progress and make recommendations on reducing barriers for Latino residents. In October 2024, the Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion Initiative will present the task force recommendations to the Board of Supervisors.

The Latinos Experiencing Homelessness agenda is part of a more significant Los Angeles County effort at the nexus of anti-racism and homelessness prevention and response. The County has already launched efforts to eliminate disparities through the Los Angeles County Black People Experiencing Homelessness (BPEH) Implementation Steering Committee (ISC), and is working on American Indian and Alaskan Native homelessness as well. Together, these three focus areas aim to support the groups disproportionately impacted by homelessness.

The County of Los Angeles will partner with FUSE to address the rise in Latinos Experiencing Homelessness (LEH). The FUSE Executive Fellow will develop a work plan to launch implementation of the task force recommendations and track progress toward successful utilization of new practices. As a result of this work, the Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion Initiative will have the foundation necessary to address the specific barriers Latino residents face in avoiding or finding a pathway out of homelessness.

PROJECT SUMMARY

Starting in October 2024, the FUSE Executive Fellow will quickly develop relationships with a broad range of stakeholders, including Los Angeles County officials, City of Los Angeles counterparts, community organizations that work with people experiencing homelessness, and members of the public, with an emphasis on Latino people experiencing homelessness or with lived experience with homelessness. The Executive Fellow will seek to understand the resources, opportunities, and aspirations these partners have for homelessness prevention and response to homelessness, and how those align with the County’s efforts to address the rise in Latinos Experiencing Homelessness. In addition, the Executive Fellow will review best practices for culturally competent homelessness services in populations and communities similar to Los Angeles County.

Next, the Executive Fellow will develop a work plan including high-priority recommendations for the Latinos Experiencing Homelessness agenda. The Executive Fellow will also engage extensively with the Black People Experiencing Homelessness Implementation Steering Committee and the American Indian and Alaskan Native Homelessness teams to streamline planning, collaborate on tasks of mutual interest, share insights, and exchange lessons learned.

Once the work plan is agreed to, the Executive Fellow will launch the implementation of high-priority recommendations working across County departments and with a variety stakeholders. The Executive Fellow will work with the Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion Initiative to liaise between the Homelessness Initiative, Los Angeles Homeless Services Agency, the City of Los Angeles and other Los Angeles County Departments to build systems, foster collaboration, and close resource gaps. As part of implementation, the Executive Fellow will identify metrics to track progress and develop a system for Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion Initiative to monitor implementation post-Fellowship.

If successful, the Executive Fellow will have built the foundation for the County to sustain the Latinos Experiencing Homelessness agenda for years to come.

PROJECT DELIVERABLES

By October 2025, the Executive Fellow will have overseen the following:

• Conduct a Stakeholder Listening Tour – Develop relationships with stakeholders in Los Angeles County and City government and community-based organizations to understand the resources, constraints, perceived opportunities, potential threats, and aspirations affecting the Latinos Experiencing Homelessness agenda. Engage stakeholders on identified and prioritized recommendations. Conduct extensive best practices research related to culturally competent and trauma-informed homelessness services and their implementation in diverse communities similar to Los Angeles County.
• Develop the Workplan – Develop the work plan based on recommendations from the task force for the Latinos Experiencing Homelessness August 2024 feedback session. Coordinate with counterparts working on Black People Experiencing Homelessness and American Indian and Alaskan Native Homelessness initiatives.
• Launch Implementation – Identify and advance implementation of high-priority recommendation of the Latinos Experiencing Homelessness Task Force. Utilize project management best practices to develop systems, relationships, and ways of doing business that support implementation across Los Angeles County departments and between the City and County. Troubleshoot implementation by identifying and closing resource and skill gaps.
• Embed Tracking & Monitoring System – Collaborate across departments to help the Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion Initiative track and monitor progress in implementing Latinos Experiencing Homelessness recommendations. Train any Los Angeles County staff responsible for tracking tasks and Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion Initiative staff that will run the system post-Fellowship.

KEY STAKEHOLDERS

• Executive Sponsor – D’Artagnan Scorza, Ph.D., Executive Director, Racial Equity; Chief Executive Office
• Project Supervisor – Jonathan Nomachi, Principal Analyst; Chief Executive Office

QUALIFICATIONS

• Synthesizes complex information into clear and concise recommendations and action-oriented implementation plans.
• Develops and effectively implements both strategic and operational project management plans.
• Generates innovative, data-driven, and result-oriented solutions to complex challenges.
• Respond quickly to changing ideas, responsibilities, expectations, trends, strategies, and other processes.
• Communicates effectively verbally and in writing and excels in active listening and conversing.
• Fosters collaboration across multiple constituencies to support more effective decision-making.
• Establishes and maintains strong relationships with diverse stakeholders, both inside and outside of government, particularly community-based relationships.
• Embraces differing viewpoints and implements strategies to find common ground.
• Demonstrates confidence and professional diplomacy while effectively interacting with individuals at all levels of various organizations.

FUSE is an equal-opportunity employer with core values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply for this position.

 

Compensation: 80,000