What We Lost: The Prototypes That Didn't Survive

LA County's new Department of Homeless Services and Housing budget cut most community co-design proposals. Only 0.05% of the $843 million budget went to community-designed programs. Here's what we proposed, what survived, and why radical hope means continuing anyway.

Homelessness, Community, Letters to the Housed, Radical HospitalityPaul AsplundFebruary 9, 2026EndHomelessness, HousingJustice, RadicalHospitality, CommunityVoice, LACounty, SystemicChangeComment

Part 3: The Deeper Conversations - Philosophy and Systems Change from Letters to the Housed by Paul Asplund of Second Grace LA

Designing LA County's new Department of Homeless Services revealed a deeper paradox: Can incremental reform address a crisis rooted in capitalism and structural injustice?

Homelessness, Letters to the Housed, Human Centered DesignPaul AsplundOctober 13, 2025HomelessnessLA, LACounty, SystemsChange, StructuralChange, HousingJustice, LivedExperience, AssetFraming, AntiCapitalism, HomelessServicesComment

Part 2: Day 2 - The Energy of Creation from Letters to the Housed by Paul Asplund of Second Grace LA

Day 2 of LA County's design lab: 100 participants prototype solutions for HSH. Data ownership, breaking silos, and power-sharing with lived experience emerge as central themes.

Homelessness, Letters to the Housed, Radical HopePaul AsplundOctober 6, 2025HSH, LACounty, DesignLab, DataOwnership, LivedExperience, SystemicChange, CommunityCoDesign, RadicalHope, HomelessServices, ServiceCoordinationComment

Part 1: Building Solutions from the Ground Up: Inside LA's Homelessness Design Lab from Letters to the Housed by Paul Asplund of Second Grace LA

Inside LA County's groundbreaking design lab where 100+ participants are rebuilding homeless services from scratch. A firsthand account of human-centered design reshaping HSH to replace LAHSA.