Los Angeles County is moving to hire an in-house chaplain, looking to explore the intersection between spirituality and good mental health, especially as it applies to services for the county’s homeless population.
The Board of Supervisors approved a plan by a 5-0 vote on Tuesday, Oct 20 to hire a chief chaplain to work with clients of the Department of Mental Health (DMH), and establish a faith-based subcommittee headed by the chaplain to provide spiritual counseling for improving behavioral health needs for the unhoused.
The chaplain also will coordinate with existing faith-based county partners, including many who informally serve the homeless in their communities.
“For too long our mental health system has treated spiritual well being as something separate and outside the scope of mental health care,” said Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger, a co-author of the motion. “A chaplain will be a bridge between our clinical programs and our faith communities.”
The motion, authored by Third District Supervisor Lindsey Horvath and co-authored by Barger, directs the hiring of a chaplain to interface with clinics operated by DMH, and provide spiritual support to the county’s clients as well as family members.
The chaplain will help the DMH work more closely with faith-based organizations, “while bringing a faith-based perspective to department programing, services, operations … (and) community partners” for the unhoused and those re-entering housing, the motion stated.
The motion did not say at what salary the DMH chaplain would be paid. More details on the costs and the roles and responsibilities of the chaplain will come back to the board in three months.
“This is not a symbolic gesture. This is a clinical investment,” said Barger, and will be funded out of the DMH budget.
Third District Supervisor Janice Hahn and Second District Supervisor Holly Mitchell wanted DMH Executive Director Dr. Lisa Wong to make sure the person she hires is non-denominational and will serve clients of all faiths as well as those who do not believe in a higher power.
“In our search for candidates we are looking for somebody approaching spirituality from a very broad sense,” Wong responded.
Hahn, who said she is a Christian, said she’d like the person hired to have worked across many faith disciplines. She also said the county’s mental health treatment should include faith-based approaches, if the person who is involved with substance abuse or living on the street does not object to this kind of holistic approach.
“When people are experiencing homelessness, there are a lot of layers it takes for them to begin their healing, to try to see what God intended each of us to be,” Hahn said.
Barger said chaplains work in the county Fire Department and the county Sheriff’s Department. Those called into Men’s Central Jail are volunteers sent by faith-based institutions. Recently, the Los Angeles Catholic Diocese sent Archbishop Jose H. Gomez to say Mass in the jail. He also met with the inmates.
Last Christmas, Gomez said Mass at the Century Regional Detention Facility and distributed holy communion. The LA Archdiocese through St. Camillus Center sends chaplains to the Los Angeles County Medical Center.
They are often referred to as a “spiritual paramedic,” and can work with a person during a crisis by helping people cope and find peace, according to the International Fellowship of Chaplains website.
“In addition, chaplains conduct assessments and make referrals, ensuring people have access to necessary resources. This might involve connecting someone to mental health services or community support networks,” the group explained.
Although they can be an ordained minister, they provide counseling to those with various belief systems. The chaplain usually serves within an institutional setting, the motion stated. “The chaplain ministers not to a congregation, but to the public at large and communities,” the motion stated, and support provided based on what the person being served is requesting.
They are often the unsung heroes, quietly offering support where it’s needed most, from hospitals, military, schools, and beyond. Their work is crucial, impacting lives every day, according to the motion.
“For many our our residents, faith is an essential source of strength, healing and community,” said Supervisor Mitchell.