TITLE
Recommendation to continue the local emergency caused by conditions or threatened conditions of homelessness within the City of Long Beach, which if not corrected, constitute an imminent and proximate threat to the safety of persons and property within the City; and
Receive and file an update on the emergency declaration and associated activities and provide any additional direction to City staff regarding the emergency. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
The City of Long Beach (City) has designated significant resources to address homelessness in Long Beach. Since 2020, more than 530 new interim housing units have been developed. The City opened the first year-round Atlantic Bridge Community Shelter, secured three hotels along with the County of Los Angeles (County), and recently purchased the 78-bed Luxury Inn and more than 30 modular shelter units. The City also implemented three Restorative Engagement to Achieve Collective Health (REACH) teams, increased the number of outreach staff and call takers from 4 to 27, expanded hours for weekend outreach, began conducting localized interdepartmental response, partnered to provide mobile health care services, and doubled Police Department Quality of Life teams. In 2023, the City has implemented mobile Multi-Service Center (MSC) outreach teams, will launch a mobile mental health and substance use treatment van, and will continue to focus on mental health prevention and treatment access.
The City continues to have approximately 3,300 people experiencing homelessness throughout Long Beach, which is a 77 percent increase since 2017 and a 62 percent increase from 2020 to 2022. Of these 3,300 people, approximately 2,300 are unsheltered. The City and local community-based organizations provide approximately 1,300 interim shelter beds, and most of these shelters are operating at capacity, leaving few options for those currently without shelter.
Declaration of the Emergency
On January 10, 2023, the City Council proclaimed the local emergency, in accordance with the provisions of Long Beach Municipal Code Chapter 2.69. This item will be reviewed every fourteen (14) days until the City Council terminates said local emergency or amends
requirements for reporting frequency. A local emergency must be terminated at the earliest possible date as the conditions warrant.
The Mission of the Emergency
To reduce the number of persons experiencing homelessness in the City and the region by increasing housing opportunities and by enhancing current initiatives that provide field-based outreach, engagement, and supportive services while maintaining the safety and security of the people experiencing homelessness, the general public and staff, and improving overall public safety for the entire community.
Everyone Home Long Beach leads with the following statement of possibility: The experience of homelessness in Long Beach is rare and brief when it occurs. The Mission, goals and actions outlined in the local homeless emergency are aligned with the Everyone Home Long Beach Plan.
The City identified the following metrics to evaluate through the state of emergency:
Homelessness Emergency Metrics
The following Homelessness Emergency Metrics were provided in the Proclamation with some clarification in terminology:
• Decrease number of persons experiencing unsheltered homelessness
• Increase housing placements
• Increase starts on new affordable housing options
• Increase temporary and permanent housing units
• Increase outside aid through access to mental health and substance use beds
• Decrease disproportionality in which Black, Indigenous and Pacific Islander persons experience homelessness
• Decrease number of persons who die in unsheltered situations
• Decrease number of persons falling into homelessness
• Increase intergovernmental (regional) partnerships to address the homeless crisis
• Increase multi-jurisdictional (and multi-departmental) efforts to address violence on or perpetuated by people experiencing homelessness
An additional metric was added by City staff:
• Increase speed of delivering critical projects addressing homelessness
•
Homelessness Emergency Goals
To address the City’s homelessness challenges, the City has been working on the following immediate, short-term, medium-term and long-term goals. These goals have been organized into four categories: increase access to services, engage community in data planning and assistance, build capacity to address homelessness crisis, and increase interim and long-term housing access. Outlined below are the list of goals that the City will accomplish in alignment with the Homelessness Emergency Metrics:
Increase access to services
|
Timeframe |
Goals |
|
Immediate |
• Increase access to services through Mobile Access Center • Open temporary Safe Parking program • Open RV Sanitation and Water Filling Site • Launch text notification system to provide real-time information and connection to service locations |
|
Short |
• Provide business support services • Increase access to mental health services throughout Long Beach • Open long term safe parking and safe RV parking • Initiate discussions and collaboration on better models for local mental health services |
|
Medium |
• Identify location and operational funding for Recuperative Care • Collaborate with LA Metro hub to support referral efforts • Partner with LA County to increase mental health and substance use disorder treatment service access |
|
Long |
• Identify and implement prevention strategies and investments |
Engage community in data planning and assistance
|
Timeframe |
Goals |
|
Immediate |
• Launch dashboard featuring local homelessness data • Implement community engagement and outreach process for homeless services-related efforts • Incorporate the City’s commitments for site selection into Homelessness Activation • Launch a donation effort to collect materials and engage the community in supporting City efforts |
|
Short |
• Improve public access data for homelessness efforts • Hold stakeholder meetings throughout Long Beach to engage community in idea generation, prioritization, and understanding • Engage clergy and non-profits to bolster capacity • Engage businesses in education and brainstorming |
|
Medium |
• Update Everyone Home Long Beach Strategic Plan to include focus on effective practices |
Build capacity to address homeless crisis
|
Timeframe |
Goals |
|
Immediate |
• Identify and apply for funding opportunities • Identify specific roles and assistance from partner agencies such as Harbor, Utilities, and Long Beach Transit • Make specific resource requests from the County, Metro, and State to build local Long Beach capacity • Initiate regional discussions on building regional capacity in the Gateway Cities |
|
Short |
• Identify and implement operational improvements in staffing, funding, and processes • Secure one-time Measure H/HHAP funding for local investment |
|
Medium |
• Collaborate with cities within the region to increase shelter and service opportunities • Enhance LAHSA partnership to connect people coming into Long Beach from the region to regional services • Secure one-time funding from intergovernmental efforts |
|
Long |
• Work to change the Measure H/HHAP distributions to address equity concerns • Have access to significantly more housing opportunities for people experiencing homelessness |
Increase interim and long-term housing access
|
Timeframe |
Goals |
|
Immediate |
• Open Winter Shelter • Create Landlord educational campaign and outreach, including launch of outreach line |
|
Short |
• Lease up all Emergency Housing Vouchers • Implement ongoing interim shelter site • Formalize additional contracts with motels to take motel vouchers • Establish process for warming centers during cold weather beyond winter shelter program |
|
Medium |
• Open Luxury Inn and Modular Units • Initiate analysis and implement policy changes in zoning, affordable housing and prevention efforts • Implement tenant protection processes, resources, and education |
|
Long |
• Implement affordable housing policy • Increase affordable housing units |
Homelessness Dashboard
The City has launched a new data dashboard showcasing local homelessness data, including demographics of people experiencing homelessness and data on the various housing and support services offered by the City. The dashboard serves as an accountability platform that will provide timely, transparent data to the public.
The dashboard, available at longbeach.gov/homelessnessdashboard <https://longbeach.gov/homelessness/>, offers a comprehensive look at homelessness in Long Beach since 2018. The dashboard will be used to further inform the City’s ongoing efforts to address the homelessness crisis and support the City’s mission to reduce the number of people experiencing homelessness in Long Beach by increasing housing opportunities, enhancing current initiatives and addressing and improving overall public safety for the entire community.
Focus Areas for the Next Two Weeks
Staff will provide an oral report on March 21, 2023, on some of the areas of focus for the next two weeks that contribute to the progress of the short-term goals. Topics will include:
Increase access to services
• Announce Safe Parking Site
• Announce RV Sanitation and Water Filling Site
• Continue partnership conversations with LA County Department of Health Services and LAHSA
• Continue identifying partners who will offer after-hours bed availability, mental health support and shelter opportunities
Engage community in data planning and assistance
• In partnership with the City team, the Mayor will begin hosting a series of community round table sessions with every council district represented, to have conversations about how partners can collaborate within the emergency response efforts and support short-term and long-term solutions to addressing homelessness.
• Plan an interfaith convening of faith organizations from across Long Beach who are committed to supporting the efforts of not only the emergency response, but ongoing after the emergency has been lifted.
•
Build capacity to address homelessness crisis
• Finalize recommendation for the $13 million budget
• Finalize letter to federal leadership regarding the City’s priorities to address the emergency
• Continue evaluating potential Airport and Port of Long Beach properties that can support additional homelessness services
• Continue to staff up the Homeless Services Bureau to address case management and public health nursing needs
• Continue researching grants with homelessness connection
• Follow up with LA County on request to support emergency
Increase interim and long-term housing access
• Continue to conduct enhanced engagement with housing providers to boost participation in Housing Voucher Program
• Host three remaining virtual information sessions for property owners and landlords to educate them on different aspects of the housing voucher process
• Work to identify emergency shelter locations for when the winter shelter program ends
• Finalize extension of Community Hospital through April 2023
• Continue evaluating other properties citywide (both public and private) that could be temporarily used or acquired to further support the local emergency
• Support homeless prevention efforts by identifying resources to support the Right to Counsel program prior to the ending of the county’s eviction moratorium
Questions from March 7, 2023
At the last hearing of this item, there were several questions from the dais. Some were answered in person, and the following questions staff have a response below:
• Will the 10 metrics be tracked on the dashboard?
o Response: Yes, in the next iteration of the dashboard.
• What happens when encampments are cleared out/cleaned up?
o Response: Paul Duncan discussed a graphic that describes the process and timeline.
o
• Can we use the Go Long Beach app to push notifications?
o Response: The Go Long Beach app platform does not allow for push notifications. However, staff are exploring adding connections from the Go Long Beach app/platform to the City’s comprehensive webpage on homelessness.
• Can staff bring back more information on how funds are utilized and tracked?
o Response: Yes, during the March 21st meeting staff will bring back a detailed overview of funding available and how it is planned to be utilized.
• Can we receive a live presentation of the dashboard?
o Response: Yes, this will be presented during the March 21st meeting.
• Can the City’s efforts be organized into short, medium, and long-term goals?
o Response: Yes, staff has spent the last two weeks on this request, part of which is presented within this report.
• What are the areas of challenge that remain for us in this difficult work?
o Response: Staff will be ready to discuss this as part of the presentation on March 21st.
• Can staff focus more on telling the complex story of homelessness?
o Response: Next week, the City will be launching an Inside Long Beach story about the personal struggle of an individual who spent 30 years on the street, who recently has accepted services and working with City staff to be successfully housed.
This matter was reviewed by Deputy City Attorney Anita Lakhani and Recovery Budget Officer Dee Okam.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action is requested on March 21, 2023, in accordance with the Long Beach Municipal Code requirements for the review of the local emergency. In order to report back every two weeks and to allow time for updates with the actions of the past two weeks, the item will generally be released on the Supplemental Agenda with a presentation with the latest information provided to the City Council and community during the meeting.
FISCAL IMPACT
The full fiscal impact is unknown at this time and will be based on the work required and projects implemented to respond to the homelessness crisis. As the Citywide strategy is developed, and funding is identified, staff will return to the City Council with fiscal impacts and requests for appropriation. This recommendation will result in significant staffing impacts beyond the normal budgeted scope of duties and is expected to affect Citywide staffing workload and will cause priorities to shift due to this emergency. There is no local job impact associated with this recommendation.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
APPROVED:
THOMAS B. MODICA
CITY MANAGER