Long Beach to consider how it can better communicate homelessness efforts

The City Council approved respective homelessness-related issues this week, but besides called connected Long Beach officials to put much wealth into amended communicating the contented to residents.

Several assembly members said astatine this week’s gathering that they were frustrated the metropolis doesn’t person a cardinal idiosyncratic they tin constituent to erstwhile residents person questions astir stateless services, truthful they asked unit if they would see utilizing funds to amended pass what Long Beach is doing to code homelessness.

And galore residents don’t cognize however funds are really being used, they said.

“In the societal media space, we should beryllium utilizing resources to amended people,” Councilwoman Suzie Price said astatine the meeting.

Mayor Robert Garcia agreed.

“The connection needs to beryllium proactive,” helium said, “not passive.”

The speech centered connected $5.2 cardinal successful Measure H funds the assembly voted to judge from Los Angeles County.

The wealth would money the city’s continuing efforts to forestall homelessness and rapidly rehouse residents, a unit study read. It would besides money outreach coordination and exigency housing, and assistance the metropolis fortify its coordinated introduction system, which facilitates efforts by providers to springiness resources to those who request it.

But Measure H funds cannot beryllium utilized to money a caller communications strategy, said Kelly Colopy, the city’s Health and Human Services director.

Money and grants Long Beach receives is often designated toward housing, City Manager Tom Monica said. But metropolis unit are looking into amended ways to pass the issue.

The assembly successful January volition sermon however the metropolis tin amended pass its efforts to code homelessness.

The metropolis connected Tuesday, Dec. 7, also approved the lease for this year’s wintertime shelter. The wintertime structure is already up and moving astatine 1718-1722 Hayes Ave., not excessively acold from the Long Beach Multi-Service Center, and volition supply a spot to sleep, 2 meals a time and showers to use.

“I’ve seen the benefits and recognize the important enactment that goes connected with this shelter,” Councilman Al Austin said astatine the meeting.

This is the shelter’s 2nd spell astir astatine this location, aft a stint determination successful 2019. The wintertime structure volition nary longer beryllium held astatine the North Branch Library moving guardant due to the fact that it is being developed for affordable housing, a unit study read.

The structure volition beryllium unfastened until March 31.

People who are stateless and enactment determination tin beryllium connected to different services, similar wellness and housing, by providers from Volunteers of America, Los Angeles, a stateless services enactment contracted by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, the metropolis unit study said.

But the structure won’t let locomotion ups. To summation entree to the shelter, you indispensable archetypal telephone 2-1-1 to cheque for furniture availability, LAHSA’s website said. Transportation volition beryllium by autobus astatine the Long Beach Multi-Service Center, 1301 W. 12th St., Long Beach Health Department spokeswoman Jennifer Rice Epstein said successful a caller interview.

The assembly connected Tuesday besides agreed to survey what a city-wide cleanable parkland restrooms programme mightiness look like. The point is related to homelessness but mostly focuses connected a citywide quality-of-life concern.

Residents person told the metropolis that radical who are stateless are sleeping successful parkland restrooms and, successful immoderate cases, person near needles oregon quality feces scattered astir them, according to a unit report.

The point was brought by Councilwoman Stacy Mungo, who said immoderate parents take not to spell to definite parks due to the fact that of the the conditions of the bathrooms.

“When you person a small one,” she said, “it’s important that they get to usage a bath regularly.”

To let restrooms to enactment unfastened and beryllium clean, metropolis unit has projected exploring a cleanable restroom program.

One specified programme successful San Francisco has bath attendants crossed respective metropolis parks, the unit study said. Another successful Los Angeles implemented automated, self-cleaning bathrooms successful North Hollywood.

And 1 programme successful El Paso, Texas, takes pictures of those who usage the bath during restricted hours. The photos past get forwarded to the constabulary department.

Of the options discussed successful the unit report, Mungo referenced LA’s automated, self-cleaning restrooms arsenic a exemplary Long Beach could follow.

Now that the assembly has OK’d exploring a cleanable parkland restrooms program, the metropolis manager and his unit person 180 days to fig retired what specified a programme could look like. The connection would aboriginal beryllium voted connected by the City Council.

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