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! | |
Long Beach Signs on to the
Built for Zero Movement
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The City of Long Beach has signed on to be part of Built for Zero, a movement of more than 100 communities working to measurably and equitably end homelessness — and proving it is possible. The movement was introduced by Community Solutions, a nonprofit that envisions a more equitable society where homelessness is never inevitable, inescapable or a way of life.
Currently, 105 communities have signed on to end homelessness measurably and equitably. 43 have achieved a measurable reduction in their homeless population, and 14 communities have achieved a functional zero for at least one population by following a multistep blueprint:
- The first step is creating a shared team of stakeholders that lead and are accountable for solutions.
- The second step is the shared commitment to ending chronic homelessness by meeting a functional zero threshold. Functional zero is a dynamic milestone that quantifies homelessness as a rare and brief occurrence, not a way of life. The team works with partners to collectively drive down the number of people experiencing homeless to a short period.
- Thirdly, changing the methodology of tracking data from an annual point in time count to name-driven data. Securing people’s names and needs and constantly tracking inflow, operational needs, and outflowing of clients can enable the community to identify the person and their specific housing needs quickly.
- Lastly is to analyze and correct systems that are not producing results, further focusing on data-driven investments.
Homelessness is a complex issue, but it is not an impossible issue. Together, we can build a future that ensures homelessness is a rare and brief experience, and never an enduring or recurring way of life."
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City Awarded $30.5 Million Project Homekey Grant to Create Over 100 More Interim Housing Units | |
The City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) was awarded a $30.5 million grant by The State of California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) to create more interim housing for people experiencing homelessness. Approximately $25.2 million will be utilized for building and modular acquisition, installation, and improvements, and the remaining $5.3 million for operations and services. The grant will enable the city to build 30 to 35 tiny modular homes at the Multi-Service Center (MSC), purchase another motel for conversion to interim housing, and operate and provide services to the two sites through the City’s Project Home key program.
The awarded grant is a part of the $1.45 billion in funding that HCD allocated to Homekey programs. $1.2 billion was derived from the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund (CSFRF) established by the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) (Public Law 117-2) and $250 million came from the state's General Funds.
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Long Beach Health Department
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.
This month's piece is titled, "Why Project Homekey, Roomkey are important in reducing homelessness"
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60 people entered an emergency shelter
274 people were contacted by Street Outreach
27 people on the street were contacted through the Tidelands and Weekend Outreach
257 requests for Outreach
506 people accessed the Multi-Service Center for the first time
3428 total visits to the Multi-Service Center this month
189 average daily visits to the Multi-Service Center this month
99 people stayed in Project Homekey (on average)
96 households stabilized in a motel
10 Safe Parking Program Participants (on average)
*Data reported in the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) for the month of July 2022
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Dalton Dorr
Data Analyst
Dalton Dorr is our new Data Analyst for the HMIS team. In his new role, the HMIS team will conduct quantitative and qualitative analyses helping provide data validity, collection, compilation, and analytic analysis to the Homeless Service Bureau programs and services.
While new to city government, he spent four years as a Budget Analyst with the federal government in Washington D.C. He has an extensive history in data analytics, data visualization, and statistics, having worked and taught in public administration.
Although Dalton is originally from Southern California, he recently returned home from Colorado, where he received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Colorado, Boulder. He enjoys playing soccer, hiking, and doing crossword puzzles in his free time. Dalton is excited to join the HMIS team and looks forward to taking on any challenges head-on.
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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 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.
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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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