Welcome to the next edition of the Homeless Services Newsletter! This is a monthly publication for the Homeless Services Bureau of the Long Beach Health Department to share information, resources, highlights, and news related to our community-wide efforts in addressing homelessness in Long Beach! | |
City of Long Beach Awarded $50,000 | |
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In late May, the City of Long Beach Homeless Services Bureau was awarded $50,000 from the Los Angeles County Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP). The funds will go towards purchasing food and other supplies for individuals experiencing homelessness that visit the Multi-Service Center.
Congress created the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) in 1983 to help meet the needs of hungry and homeless people throughout the United States and its territories by allocating federal funds for the provision of food and shelter. United Way of Greater Los Angeles (UWGLA) supports the local administration of the program and is the designated program contact.
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REACH Teams Provide Alternative Response
to Calls for Service for
People Experiencing Homelessness
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The City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) provided updates regarding two REACH outreach teams that were created in July of last year as an alternative response to certain calls for service related to people experiencing homelessness. These specialized teams focus on increasing access to mental and physical health services as well as housing and case management resources, while reducing impacts to the emergency response system and addressing the root cause of homelessness.
City leaders announced that, in the past year, the Health Department’s Homeless Services Bureau outreach teams responded to 567 requests for outreach and engaged with more than 1,800 people. Of those, 87 people with significant mental health and physical health care needs were enrolled in ongoing services through REACH. Those enrolled in ongoing REACH follow-up services tend to have been underserved by traditional care systems and have complex care needs along with histories of trauma.
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Street Outreach's Newly Wrapped Vehicle | |
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The Multi-Service Center has a newly wrapped vehicle available for outreach requests. The van has been branded with City colors and logos to increase awareness and visibility of city resources to residents and unsheltered alike.
The calls received for outreach can sometimes be met with the uncertainty of authority. A branded vehicle can help individuals feel at ease with staff and the services provided.
This wrapped van is part of a fleet of vehicles expected within the following year.
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Long Beach Health Department
Introduces Monthly Column on Homelessness
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The Long Beach Health Department has partnered up with the Press-Telegram to publish a monthly Op-ed on the statewide city crisis of the forefront issue of homelessness.
The featured piece will examine the complexities of the homeless crisis and what can be done to solve it by Health and Human Services Director Kelly Colopy.
Since the Press-Telegram is not a free news site, the Homeless Services Newsletter will be providing a PDF version for all readers.
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140 people entered into an emergency shelter
219 people were contacted by Street Outreach
70 locations throughout the City visited by Street Outreach
16 people on the street were contacted through the Tidelands and Weekend Outreach
458 people accessed the Multi-Service Center for the first time
1322 showers provided at the Multi-Service Center
1089 people engaged in active case management
9 veterans were engaged at the Multi-Service Center
118 people stayed in Project Homekey (on average)
43 people stayed at the Winter/Cold Weather Shelter (on average)
115 households stabilized in a motel
*Data reported in the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) for the month of May 2022
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Giovanna Ferraro
Assistant Outreach Coordinator
Giovanna Ferraro (she/her), or "Gio" as she goes by, is our newest Assistant Outreach Coordinator.
Gio has a variety of prior work experience, some of the few being serving as a Firefighter for five years with the cities of Burbank and Pasadena. She taught 9th graders Health Education as a High School Teacher. She has a passion for public service involvement, especially with the City of Long Beach, as the former Chair of the Downtown Long Beach Alliance (DBLA) Public Safety Team and a former Commissioner for the Long Beach Human Relations Commission.
She was born in the Bronx, New York, and is bilingual. Italian was her first language. She received her bachelors from Cal State Long Beach in Health Science, with an emphasis in Education. Loves the City she works in and enjoys hiking, nature, and film.
Gio is also a longtime advocate for Homeless resources and services, as her father passed from experiencing homelessness 17 years ago. She is excited about the opportunity to be a part of the team that fights for rights and helps those less fortunate.
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Alondra Olmos
Multi Service Center Operations Supervisor
Alondra Olmos was announced as the new Homeless Services Operations Supervisor at the Multi-Service Center. Alondra began her career with the City of Long Beach as a Case Manager in October of 2021. However, she has a variety of experience in public service that includes interning for the State Assembly, volunteering in local campaigns, serving as a planning commissioner for her community, and nonprofit work with at-risk transitional-aged youth (TAY). In her new role, Alondra will assist the MSC Coordinator with oversight of the day-to-day activities and operations of the MSC as it continues to provide supportive services for individuals experiencing homelessness.
She recently completed a Master of Public Administration at Cal State Los Angeles and earned her Bachelors in Political Science and Chicano Studies from Cal State Long Beach. For leisure, she enjoys to working out, trying different restaurants, and spending time with family.
Alondra hopes to be a resource and support system for program participants and staff as they strive toward the goal of reducing homelessness in the City of Long Beach.
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Jonathan Said
Caseworker
Jonathan Said is the newest caseworker with the Homeless Services Bureau. He has been passionately serving our neighbors experiencing homelessness in Long Beach since 2017.
He has a wealth of volunteering experience with Long Beach Community Based Organizations, such as Beacon for Him and Christ the Good Shepherd. His previous formative experiences have led him across the Los Angeles Coordinated Entry System, taking on various roles from street outreach to working with permanent supportive housing.
Jonathan is dedicated to continuing "meeting people where they are at" in the City.
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Multi-Service Center
The Multi-Service Center (MSC) provides the following services to people and families experiencing homelessness:
- Outreach Services
- Intake and assessment services
- Case Management
- Referrals to shelters and other social service programs
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City of Long Beach Online Resource Directory
The online resource and referral platform, powered by Unite Us, helps residents connect to City and community programs.
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CSH Supportive Housing Training Center
Through the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), the Supportive Housing Training Center offers practical, interactive training solutions that empower people to learn about, build, & provide high-quality supportive housing in their community. There are several free, on-demand courses that focus on a variety of supportive-housing-related topics.
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Rapid Rehousing Roundtable Discussion Series
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is hosting a series of roundtable discussions on best practices in Rapid Re-Housing. These facilitated dialogues will allow providers to learn from experts and peers and submit questions on each discussion topic.
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New Tool to Find Federal Non-Emergency Health and Social Service Programs
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness launched a new tool to help state and local leaders identify and access federal non-emergency health and social programs so they can use multiple streams of funding for holistic supportive services that meet the short- and long-term needs of people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
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New Voting Guides for People Experiencing Homelessness
To help more Americans exercise their right to vote, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) created step-by-step voting guides for homeless providers and for people experiencing homelessness.
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CoC and ESG Financial Management Virtual Binder
The new Continuum of Care (CoC) and Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) Financial Management Virtual Binder is now available on the HUD Exchange. This binder provides a comprehensive overview of HUD's financial management guidance for the CoC and ESG program. Recipient and subrecipient staff are encouraged to review this binder to ensure that appropriate internal structures and policies are in place to manage federal funds.
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Current Job Opportunities
The City of Long Beach has several employment opportunities to be part of the Homeless Services Bureau. Check out the job posting below:
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Volunteer and Donation Opportunities
Community members play an important role in the solution to ending homelessness in Long Beach. Volunteers help others while learning more about what is being done to address homelessness in Long Beach. Learn how you can contribute your talents, energy and expertise to support local efforts in ending homelessness.
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Long Beach CoC Board Meeting
The Long Beach CoC Board is comprised of elected members with the oversight to steward local planning, coordination, and implementation activities related to ending and preventing homelessness in the region. The CoC Board meets twice quarterly on the second Tuesday in January, March, April, June, July, September, October and December. All meetings are open to the public.
Long Beach CoC General Membership Meeting
The Long Beach CoC General Membership is a broad-based group of local stakeholders who share a common interest in ending and preventing homelessness in the City. The CoC General Membership meets quarterly on the second Tuesday in March, June, September, and December. Meetings are open to the public.
Long Beach CoC Standing Subcommittees
In addition to the meetings above, the Long Beach CoC has three standing subcommittees:
- Policies and Standards
- Coordinated Entry System
- Quality, Data, and Performance.
Subcommittee membership is open to all general members of the CoC. Members are defined as anyone who has attended at least one CoC General Meeting.
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Homeless Services Advisory Committee
The Homeless Services Advisory Committee serves at the discretion of the City Council and the Mayor to make recommendations on policies, programs, and activities related to homeless assistance resources. The HSAC meets on the first Wednesday of each month unless otherwise noted. All meetings are open to the public.
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