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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!

FEATURED NEWS

Newly Acquired Hotel for Interim Housing

The City of Long Beach is finalizing the purchase of the Luxury Inn for conversion into interim or temporary housing for people experiencing homelessness. On September 13, 2022, the Long Beach City Council authorized the City Manager to purchase the motel at 5950 Long Beach Blvd using grant funding from the State’s Homekey Program Round 2. Once renovations are complete, the facility will provide 78 additional beds of non-congregate shelter for people experiencing homelessness.


On July 28, 2022, the City was awarded about $25 million for the acquisition, conversion, and operations of the Luxury Inn through the Homekey Program. The City expects to spend $16.5 million on the property acquisition and up to $4.7 million on renovations. Once acquired, City staff will conduct an in-depth building assessment and execute any needed renovations or upgrades to ensure effective use as interim housing.


The facility is expected to open for operations by October 2023 and will prioritize people experiencing chronic homelessness. The City will release a competitive Request for Proposals to select a qualified service provider for site management and supportive services. The service provider will work closely with the Long Beach Homeless Services Bureau and the Continuum of Care to provide supportive services, such as individualized case management services, housing navigation, referrals to behavioral and physical health services, transportation, and meals.

View the Council Letter

Call for Volunteers: 

2023 Homeless Point-In-Time Count

The City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services is seeking 250 community volunteers to help conduct the 2023 Point in Time (PIT) Count, its street count of people experiencing homelessness in Long Beach, taking place on Jan. 26, 2023.


The PIT Count is a communitywide effort that provides an opportunity for residents and local businesses to actively contribute and learn about homelessness in Long Beach. The count is vital in determining the scope of homelessness, defining existing resources available and identifying gaps to better serve these individuals.

To volunteer for the PIT Count, people must:

  • Be 18 years or older.
  • Attend a two-hour orientation and training prior to the day of the Count. Orientations will be held both virtually and in person and will occur in early January.
  • Commit to a four-hour canvassing shift on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. Volunteers will be expected to report at 4:30 a.m. and dispatched to the field by 5 a.m.


If more than 250 people register to volunteer for the count, a waitlist will be created. 

Register Here
Read the Press Release

Homeless Court featured on Inside Long Beach

Inside LB published an article titled, "Homeless Court helps people experiencing homelessness, breaking down barriers to housing and Employment."


Read the full article on the Homeless Court held at the Multi-Service Center, expanding the Center's "one-stop shop" approach ; in addition to having access to basic services such as a medical clinic, hot showers, meals, mail, phone charging, and job readiness, people experiencing homelessness have a streamlined process to address cases on their criminal record.

Read Here

Long Beach Health Department

Monthly Column on Homelessness

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.


This month's piece is titled, "The social and safety debate on homeless encampments."

Read Here for Free
Press-Telegram Link

PERFORMANCE SNAPSHOT

person entered into permanent supportive housing programs


55 people moved into permanent destinations


24 people entered rapid rehousing


187 people entered an emergency shelter


249 people were contacted by Street Outreach


23 people on the street were contacted through the Tidelands and Weekend Outreach


217 requests for Outreach


582 people accessed the Multi-Service Center for the first time


3950 total visits to the Multi-Service Center this month


188 average daily visits to the Multi-Service Center this month


737 incoming calls to the Multi-Service Center this month


44 people stayed in Project Roomkey 2.0 (on average)


112 people stayed in Project Homekey (on average)


81 people stayed at the Atlantic Bridge Housing Community (on average)


126 households stabilized in a motel


Safe Parking Program Participants (on average)


*Data reported in the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) for the month of September 2022

TRAININGS AND RESOURCES

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
Learn more about the MSC
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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.

View the Resource Directory

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 and 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.

View the On-Demand Courses

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.

View the Schedule

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.

View the Tool

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. 

View the Guides

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. 

View the Financial Management Virtual Binder

GET INVOLVED

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. 

Discover Opportunities for Volunteering

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:  

  1. Policies and Standards
  2. Coordinated Entry System
  3. 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. 

View CoC Meeting Details

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.

View HSAC Meeting Details

Mayor's Fund to End Homelessness

The Mayor’s Fund to End Homelessness (Mayor’s Fund) provides small grants to organizations in Long Beach that address significant service delivery needs that are not covered by existing funding and are not considered emergency needs. Donations to this fund could support a variety of critical needs, including: 

  • Relocation Assistance
  • Shelter Services 
  • Transportation Assistance
  • Critical infrastructure improvements and repairs 
  • Replacement of mission critical equipment 
  • Move-in Assistance 
  • Immediate shelter needs  


View the Mayor's Fund Details

CITY OF LONG BEACH DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


For general questions or if you'd like to include something in the next newsletter, please email: HomelessServicesAdmin@longbeach.gov