LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Los Angeles County CEO Sachi Hamai today appointed her office's head of strategic integration to lead the effort in temporarily housing homeless people during the coronavirus pandemic.
Tiana Murillo, the head of the county Chief Executive Office's Strategic Integration Branch, was selected to lead departments and the Homeless Initiative and work with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority in the efforts.
“This is a multifaceted effort with many partners,” Hamai said. “As we line up hundreds of temporary housing units, we also need to make sure we have the staff and essential supplies at each of the sites to make sure we are operating safely and efficiently.”
Murillo's position is effective immediately and will last 120 days, according to Hamai. Her official title is temporary supervisory administrator of the Homeless Housing Response.
The objectives Murillo will oversee include coordinating medical sheltering for homeless people who have been exposed to the virus and need a place to self-isolate or quarantine.
The Homeless Initiative will work with Project Roomkey, which has been securing hotel and motel rooms for people to self-quarantine.
Together, these programs have temporarily housed more than 900 individuals since the onset of the crisis, with more sites and capacity being added daily, Hamai said.
The programs are necessary to curb the spread of the virus and protect the county's health care system, she said.
“We are working at an unprecedented pace to build a network of temporary sheltering solutions throughout the county to make sure that people experiencing homelessness, and the community at large, are protected,” said Kathryn Barger, chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
“To make sure we achieve our goals, we need a single leader to guide and coordinate our efforts, and Tiana has the ideal skill set to oversee this exceptionally complex mission,” she said.
According to the CEO's office, Murillo is a graduate of Stanford and Columbia Law School and joined the county in 2014.
She has served as a member of the Probation Department's Executive Team where she provided leadership to administrative operations and various departmental strategic projects and initiatives, Hamai said.
“This assignment is a big challenge, not just for me personally but for all of the hardworking county staff and partners who are already making a profound difference under difficult circumstances,” Murillo said. “I look forward to harnessing our collective efforts and bringing people together to make sure we are accomplishing together what no one entity could accomplish alone.”
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