Heidi Marston
(photo courtesy of LAHSA)

In its June 5 board meeting, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority Commission unanimously selected Heidi Marston to serve as executive director.

“Heidi Marston is the exact person we want to reform an entrenched system – she’s brave, energetic and unflappable. She has a commanding mastery of the details of how a bold homeless-services system should work,” said Sarah Dusseault, LAHSA Commission chair. “She came to LAHSA for a challenge and relentlessly led our unprecedented COVID-19 response – housing thousands of seniors in weeks. She will continue the momentum of systemic change and racial justice. I’m proud to announce that her leadership of this organization will continue.”   

LAHSA is a joint powers authority whose governing commission is appointed by both city and county elected leaders.  Marston has served as LAHSA’s acting executive director since December. She came to LAHSA as chief program officer in February 2019 after serving at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in several roles, including special assistant to the VA Secretary under President Barack Obama. 

“Homelessness in Los Angeles County is a crisis every day,” Marston said. “We have to respond to it with daily urgency while we redesign this institution to be strong and flexible enough to deliver that response at the scale of need.” 

For information, visit lahsa.org.