LONG BEACH, Calif. — Food was never really a problem for Erica Harper.

Coming off nine years of homelessness, she has always found a way to feed herself and those around her. 

“I would feed everybody that was in my vicinity," Harper said. "If you were homeless and you were outside, you could get a plate from me because I had a hundred paper plates, and everybody could get some food.”

What Harper really needed was medical help. A traumatizing sexual and violent assault spun her mental health out of control, leading her to losing everything — her family, job and home.

"You name it, I slept at the library, the churches, the court building was my favorite," she said. "I felt really safe there."

It wasn’t until Harper found herself volunteering at a local church that Harper began to truly believe finding stable housing was possible. She was introduced to a program called Housing for Health through the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.

With the pandemic overwhelming the health care system, the program was a way to get people off the streets and into housing throughout the county. Housing participants can also receive supportive health services on-site or nearby.

Harper was able to move into a Long Beach one-bedroom apartment and now has access to a psychiatrist for monthly treatment.

In April, the DHS Housing for Health Division, in partnership with LA Care Health Plan — the largest publicly operated health plan in the country — received a nearly $20 million ­­­­­grant from the state of California as part of the Housing for a Healthy California Program.

This helped pave the way for 250 Medi-Cal members experiencing homelessness to get a chance to stabilize their housing and health with 5-year rental subsidies.

DHS partnered with LA Homeless Services Authority to identify people who have clinical and medical reasons why they need permanent housing. They provide case management on-site.

Dr. Christina Ghaly, director of DHS, explained how LA's homeless crisis is far from solved, and that more work needs to be done.

“Both in working to make housing more affordable for everyone across the board, but also making sure that there is a funding stream for those individuals unable to make the rent in LA County,” she said.

Only a few months in at her new place, Harper is already showing that when someone gets the help they need, they can thrive.

"[This program] made me appreciate life more," she said.