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.
The 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 that 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 and planning, build capacity to address homelessness crisis and increase interim and long-term housing access. Outlined below are the list of goals that the City seeks to accomplish in alignment with the Homelessness Emergency Metrics:
Increase access to services
|
Timeframe |
Goals |
|
|
|
• |
Increase access to services through Mobile Access Center |
|
|
• |
Open temporary Safe Parking program |
|
Immediate |
• |
Open RV Sanitation and Water Filling Site |
|
|
• |
Launch text notification system to provide real-time information and connection to service locations |
|
|
• |
Provide business support services |
|
Short |
• |
Increase access to mental health services throughout City |
|
|
• |
Open long term safe parking and safe RV parking |
|
|
• |
Identify location and operational funding for Recuperative Care |
|
|
• |
Collaborate with Metro hub to support referral efforts |
|
Medium |
• |
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 and planning
|
Timeframe |
Goals |
|
|
|
• |
Launch dashboard featuring local homelessness data |
|
|
• |
Implement community engagement and outreach process for |
|
Immediate |
|
homeless services-related efforts |
|
|
• |
Incorporate City commitments for site selection into Homelessness |
|
|
|
Activation |
|
Short |
• |
Improve public access data for homelessness efforts |
|
|
• |
Update Everyone Home Long Beach Strategic Plan to include focus |
|
Medium |
|
on effective practices |
|
|
• |
Convene regional partners for long-term prevention planning and |
|
Long |
|
implementation |
Build capacity to address homeless crisis
|
Timeframe |
Goals |
|
|
Immediate |
• |
Identify and apply for funding opportunities |
|
Short |
• |
Identify and implement operational improvements in staffing, funding, and processes |
|
|
• |
Secure one-time Measure H/HHAP funding for local investment |
|
|
• |
Collaborate with Cities within the region to increase shelter and service opportunities |
|
Medium |
• |
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 |
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 • Ensure permanent housing for people experiencing homelessness coming from Long Beach by attaching project-based vouchers to current Homekey sites • Identify additional permanent supportive housing funding and implementation opportunities including Project Homekey. |
Actions Taken in the Past Two Weeks
Over the past two weeks, the City emergency structure has taken several actions and below is a summary of the major items worked on. Supporting information is included in Attachment A.
Increase access to services
• Launched Text Alert Program to connect people experiencing homelessness to resources and services, those interested can text keyword “HOME” to 99411 to receive updates
• Information has been centralized on the emergency response on a newly created Homelessness Services Information Hub available at longbeach.gov/homelessness <http://longbeach.gov/homelessness>
• Announced $200,000 in funding available from the homelessness response for prevention to fund additional Right to Counsel services
Engage community in data and planning
• Announced survey seeking community members’ knowledge and perceptions of homelessness to garner feedback to further inform City resources, services, and response efforts. Survey can be accessed at longbeach.gov/homelessness <http://longbeach.gov/homelessness>
• Supported four Mayor’s Community Partner Roundtables with three remaining in the upcoming weeks
• Confirmed data refresh interval for Homeless Dashboard will be the first Thursday of every month
• Completed community engagement around RV Sanitation and Water Filling site
Build capacity to address homelessness crisis
• Met with LA County, LAHSA, and Metro to discuss opportunities to develop homeless services and resources along the A line
• Hosted first donation drive-thru event
Increase interim and long-term housing access
• Winter Shelter operations at Community Hospital were extended through April 30
• MSC Warming Center continues to be open for overnight shelter from rain and cold
• Safe Parking program opened at Queens Way that allows people living in their vehicles to park overnight with access to restrooms, security, and case management. The site will operate daily from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. with capacity of 50 passenger vehicles
Focus Areas for the Next Two Weeks
Staff will provide an oral report on April 4, 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 RV Sanitation and Water Filling Site
• Continue partnership conversations with LA County Department of Health Services and LAHSA
Engage community in data and planning
• Complete remaining three Mayor’s Community Partner Roundtables and aggregate the data. These meetings are focused on 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 the City who are committed to supporting the efforts of not only the emergency response, but ongoing after the emergency has been lifted
• Add additional data elements for the emergency to the data dashboard
• Host second drive-thru donation event at Main Health Department (2525 Grand Ave.) on April 29th from 9 am to 1 pm
Build capacity to address homelessness crisis
• Present utilization of $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
• Engage with consultants to identify grants to support efforts
• Continue to engage LA County on request to support emergency activities
Increase interim and long-term housing access
• Continue to conduct enhanced engagement with housing providers to boost participation in Emergency 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 location for when the winter shelter program ends
• Continue evaluating other properties citywide (both public and private) that could be temporarily used or acquired to further support homeless services housing opportunities
This matter was reviewed by Deputy City Attorney Anita Lakhani and Recovery Budget Officer Dee Okam on March 30, 2023.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action is requested on April 4, 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