Winter shelter open in Long Beach, City Council to consider other homelessness issues

Long Beach’s wintertime structure is up and moving astatine connected Hayes Avenue, but the City Council inactive needs to o.k. the lease for the space. It’s 1 of respective items related to homelessness the assembly volition code astatine their Tuesday, Dec. 7, meeting.

The wintertime structure is unfastened now, Long Beach Health Department spokeswoman Jennifer Rice Epstein said. This volition beryllium 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 — 1718-1722 Hayes Ave., not excessively acold from the city’s Multi-Service Center — volition not lone supply a spot to sleep, but besides 2 meals a time and showers to use.

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., Rice Epstein said.

The council, meanwhile, volition besides see connected Tuesday accepting $5.2 cardinal successful Measure H funds from Los Angeles County. Measure H was passed by region voters successful 2017 to money stateless services.

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.

The assembly volition besides see what it mightiness look similar to commencement a cleanable parkland restrooms program, an point related to homelessness but mostly focused connected a citywide quality-of-life concern.

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

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.

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

The City Council gathering volition statesman astatine 5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 7, astatine City Hall.

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