Hafsa Kaka

Special Advisor on Homelessness and Encampments

Hafsa Kaka, of San Diego, has been appointed Special Advisor on Homelessness and Encampments at the California Department of Transportation. She has been the Senior Advisor on Homelessness at the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom since 2023. Kaka was Director of Homelessness Strategies and Solutions in the Office of San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria from 2021 to 2023. She was the Officer of Homeless Solutions in the City Manager’s Office for the City of Riverside from 2019 to 2021. Kaka was the Homeless Services Manager for the City of Santa Ana from 2018 to 2019. She was an Adjunct Professor at the USC School of Social Work from 2018 to 2019. Kaka was the Homeless System Coordinator at the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority from 2016 to 2018. She was Associate Director of Homelessness Services at Skid Row Lamp Community from 2015 to 2016. Kaka was the Program Manager for Homeless Services at Good Shepherd Center for Homeless Women and Children from 2013 to 2015. She earned a Master of Arts degree in Social Work from the University of Minnesota and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Criminology from the University of California, Irvine.