CITY OF
LONG Health and Human Services
2525 Grand Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90815
(562) 570-4000 FAX (562) 570-4049
March 15, 2022
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
City of Long Beach
California
RECOMMENDATION:
R-16
Receive and file the Citywide Strategic Plan on Veterans. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
The City of Long Beach (City) took the first step towards recognizing its rich military history, spanning more than a century, and its vibrant Veterans' community, comprised of nearly 17,000 Veterans, when the City Council signed an Ordinance officially establishing a citywide Veterans Affairs Commission (Commission), on February 9, 2016.
The Commission began holding monthly meetings in January 2017, and on November 7, 2017, the City Council directed the City Manager to work with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Commission to develop a Veterans Strategic Plan (Plan).
The Commission engaged in a strategic planning process from September 2018 through March 2020. As part of this process, the Commission carried out extensive research on the challenges and opportunities Veterans face and reviewed and analyzed demographic data on the City's Veteran population. It also conducted interviews with 46 Veterans' community stakeholders, engaging 180 Veterans in five separate community input sessions. Stakeholders included leaders of local Veteran-serving organizations and elected officials. Sessions were held at places where Veterans gather to determine and refine the goals, objectives, and strategies identified in the Plan. The four core goals are as follows:
1. Long Beach recognizes Veterans for their strengths and as valued members of our community, and regularly celebrates and honors them.
2. Veteran-serving organizations and agencies coordinate well to ensure that Veterans successfully transition from military service to civilian life.
3. Veterans, including traditionally underserved Veteran populations such as women, seniors, low-income, LGBTQ, and Veterans with disabilities, readily access the resources and services they need in the areas of housing, education, employment, and mental and physical health and well-being throughout their lifetimes.
4. Veterans who are precariously housed or who are experiencing homelessness have access to affordable housing, and the supportive services they need to remain housed.
5. An Office of Veterans Support is established in the Health and Human Services Department to serve as the infrastructure to carry out the goals, objectives, and strategies outlined in the strategic plan.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
March 15, 2022
The Veterans Affairs Commission is pleased to present the Veterans Strategic Plan, which represents the most comprehensive portrait of the vibrant Long Beach Veterans' community published to date. The Plan serves as a visionary document and does not include any direct funding.
This matter was reviewed by Deputy City Attorney Taylor M. Anderson on December 15, 2021 and by Budget Analysis Officer Greg Sorensen on January 3, 2022.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action is requested on March 15, 2022, to receive and file the Strategic Plan on Veterans, which serves as a guiding document to coordinate the City's efforts to serve those who have served our country well into the future. The Plan is intended to be an ongoing effort over the next two to three years with the understanding that the Plan will be regularly reviewed, evaluated, and reported on over the same timeframe.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with the recommendation. The Strategic Plan on Veterans provides a blueprint for the two to three-year effort to serve veterans who have provided service to the country. The plan is a visionary document with no direct funding to implement the recommended strategies. If the City moves forward with some of the Plan's recommendations, funding will be identified, and cost estimates will be developed as part of the implementation. The Plan was developed using existing staff time currently budgeted in General Fund in the Health and Human Services Department. This recommendation has minimal staffing impact beyond the normal budgeted scope of duties and is consistent with the existing City Council priorities. There is no local job impact associated with this recommendation.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully submitted,
K~/J:ttl
DIRECTOR
HEAL TH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Attachment: Veterans Strategic Plan
APPROVED:
THOMAS B. MODICA
CITY MANAGER
Veterans
Strategic Plan
1 2
The City took the first step towards recognizing its vibrant Veterans’ community, which is comprised of nearly 17,000 Veterans, when it established the Long Beach Veterans Commission.
Housed in the City’s Department of Health and Human Services, the Long Beach Veterans Commission was formed to:
• Honor Veterans’ service and highlight the many
achievements of those who have dedicated their lives to protecting the country
• Serve as an advisory board to the City Council regarding the well-being of military Veterans in Long Beach
• Provide recommendations on all matters pertaining to
the affairs of Veterans residing within the City
• Evaluate and recommend programs, policies, and
practices to assist Veterans in multiple capacities
• Act as a central clearing house for information, programs and services relating to Veterans in the Long Beach
community
To fulfill its mission and to better understand Veterans’ needs, strengths and the opportunities that exist to better serve them, the Long Beach Veterans Commission and
the Department of Health and Human Services embarked
on an 18-month strategic planning process that took
place primarily between August 2018 and March 2020. As Health Department staff were called upon to respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency, the plan was put on hold. Work on the plan resumed in the fall of 2021.
The results of the staff and the Veterans’ Commission’s efforts represent the most comprehensive report on the vibrant Long Beach Veterans’ community presented to date. It is the Commission’s intent that this plan serves as a guiding document, a blueprint of sorts, to coordinate the City’s efforts to serve those who have served our country.
Kelly Colopy
Director, Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services Dear City of Long Beach Colleagues and Veterans’ Community, The City of Long Beach has a rich
military history spanning more
than a century.
Table
of Contents
Appendices 55
Foreward 4
Selected References & Acknowledgements 65
Executive Summary 7
Portrait of the Long Beach Veterans Community 15
Long Beach Veterans Population at a Glance 31
Goals, Objectives, Strategies & Recommendations 39
3 4
5 6
E X E C U T I V E
SUMMARY
The intent of this strategic plan
is to inform decision-making and
resource coordination with and on
behalf of the Long Beach Veterans’
community.
As no two service members’
experiences are exactly the
same, there is no one size fits
all approach to connecting
Veterans to resources and
services both as they transition
from military to civilian life and
throughout their lifetimes.
What are the major strengths of the
Veterans’ community in Long Beach? What
are their needs? Where do opportunities
exist to further support and celebrate
Veterans and how can they best be
prioritized?
The Long Beach Veterans
Commission has examined data
gathered directly from the Veterans’
community, as well as secondary data
sources such as the American Community
Survey 5-Year Estimate 2015-2019, to
determine the goals, objectives, and
strategies most likely to uplift and support
our local Veterans.
7 8
Major Trends Goals
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Long Beach Veterans Commission identified major areas of opportunity from the data.
These areas of opportunity were synthesized into the following goals for this plan and drove the development of the specific objectives and strategies to achieve these goals. An overview of the basic goals, objectives and strategies follows.
Goal 1: Long Beach recognizes Veterans for their strengths, as valued members of our community, and regularly celebrates and honors them.
This will be accomplished through a multimedia
Long Beach Veterans Stories Campaign to
preserve the history of those who served and
by bringing Veterans and non-Veterans together
to celebrate Veterans in creative and inclusive
ways. These celebrations will take place in City
parks and public spaces named for Veterans
or containing Veterans-related markers and
monuments. The City will also organize highprofile opportunities for Veterans to volunteer for projects that improve and enhance public
spaces throughout our City.
Long Beach Veterans are thriving for the most part with employment and education rates comparable with those of non-Veterans
1. The proportion of Veterans participating in the
labor force is 73.4 percent compared to 76.7
percent of non-Veterans. The proportion of
Veterans with college degrees is 31.6 percent,
compared to 30.9 percent for non-Veterans. Fewer
Veterans than non-Veterans live below the poverty
line: 11.6 percent for Veterans compared to 14.5
percent for non-Veterans).
2. Housing in Long Beach is unaffordable for Veterans.
Post-9/11 Veterans under the age of 40 frequently
cited the lack of affordable housing as an obstacle
to returning or relocating to Long Beach upon
their transition from military to civilian life, as
well as remaining in Long Beach post-transition.
The lack of affordable housing in Long Beach
may be causally related to a shrinking Veterans’
population. Between 2012 and 2019, the Veteran
population declined by 6,500. Over the same
timeframe, the number of Veterans over the age of
55 increased.
3. The Veteran population in Long Beach is aging at a faster rate than the non-Veteran population.
Sixty-six percent of Veterans in Long Beach
are over the age of 55. Within this group, the
percentage of Veterans age 65 and older increased
by nearly seven points, from 40.9 to 47.6, between
2012 and 2019. By comparison, the percentage of
non-Veterans over age 65 increased by just over a
percentage point from 9.4 to 10.8 percent over the
same timeframe.
9 10
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Goal 3: Veterans readily access the resources and services they need in the areas of housing, education, employment, and mental and physical health and well-being post-transition and throughout their lifetimes.
The City should take the lead on convening the
organizations that provide resources and services
for Veterans at different stages of their lives
through a variety of summits. This is separate
and distinct from a summit that focuses on the
transition.
Both the transition and lifestage-focused
summits serve as starting points for
conversations focused on identifying key
needs, service gaps, and exploring solutions
that improve access to resources and services
across the board. Such conversations will focus
as well on traditionally underserved Veteran
subpopulations, including low-income, women,
LGBTQ and Veterans with disabilities.
In addition, the summits foster stronger
connections between Veteran-serving
organizations and agencies. These connections
build the foundation for collaboration and
resource coordination. As more organizations
join the Unite Us platform, for example, it
becomes a more efficient and effective tool for
referring Veterans to the right people and the
right services.
Goal 2: Veteran-serving organizations and agencies coordinate well to ensure that Veterans successfully transition from military service to civilian life.
The transition is defined as the two-year period
following active duty wherein Veterans return
and readjust to their lives, taking into account
the impacts of their time in the service on
virtually every aspect of their lives. Helping
Veteran-serving organizations to coordinate well
will be accomplished by convening a summit
focused on improving access to transitionrelated resources and services across the board, particularly for traditionally underserved Veteran
subpopulations, including low-income, women,
LGBTQ and Veterans with disabilities.
Many agencies serve Veterans, and it is
sometimes confusing to find the right local
services at the right time. A transition-focused
summit will help build the foundation for
leveraging an existing referral platform to
connect Veterans to the local resources and
services they need. This platform, called Unite
Us, is currently used as a tool for connecting
callers to the Health Department’s Resource
Line to providers of the resources and services
they seek. Developing Unite Us for Veterans will
enable local providers of resources and services
to join, regularly update, refer and track Veteran
referrals in real time. Establishing a Veterans
resource line backed by the Unite Us platform is
a worthwhile and cost-effective endeavor.
In addition, the City will lead and promote events
for transitioning Veterans that connect them to
networking, education, job-training, and careerbuilding opportunities. 11 12
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Goal 4: Veterans who are precariously housed or who are experiencing homeless have access to affordable housing and the supportive services they need to remain housed.
The City will accomplish this by supporting strategies, programs, and policies to reduce barriers to housing Veterans, increase access to affordable housing and prevent homelessness.
Goal 5: An Office of Veterans Support is established in the Health and Human Services Department to serve as the infrastructure to carry out the goals, objectives and strategies outlined in the strategic plan.
1. 2.
3. 4.
5. Coordinate City-wide efforts to recognize
Veterans through public celebrations that
bring Veterans and non-Veterans together
and provide opportunities for Veterans to
volunteer for a City improvement project.
Serve as lead convener of local public
and private and non-profit and for-profit
organizations and agencies that serve
Veterans at transition and throughout their
lifetimes for the City of Long Beach.
Establish a referral platform that connects
Veterans to the local resources and services
they need when they need them.
Partner with resource and service providers
to connect Veterans to local education,
networking, job training, and career-building
opportunities.
Serve as the “go-to” for up-to-date
information on all local Veterans-related
resources, services, programs, policies,
public celebrations and demographic data
for the City of Long Beach and the Veterans’
community.
Make or support policy recommendations
at the state and federal level in the areas of
affordable housing, homelessness, education,
employment and mental and physical health
and well-being for our local Veterans.
6. The Veterans Commission and City staff
are pleased to present this vision. We look
forward to working with the City to fully
implement this plan to make Long Beach
even more welcoming and whole-heartedly
supportive of Veterans.
13 14
PORTRAIT OF
THE LONG BEACH
VETERANS
COMMUNITY
The City’s vibrant Veterans’ community is
comprised of nearly 17,000 Veterans and
numerous for-profit and non-profit Veteranserving organizations.
The largest and most well-known Veteran-serving
institution in the City serves as “the healthcare
provider of choice” for 50,000 Veterans from
Long Beach and surrounding cities each year.
Located on the east side of the City, it is the
Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center, the formal name
of the VA Long Beach Healthcare System, more
commonly known as the VA Long Beach.
On the west side of the City, American Gold Star
Manor once housed Gold Star Mothers (mothers
of fallen service members) only, but now also
houses low-income seniors, including more than
100 Veterans. Century Villages at Cabrillo (CVC)
is also located on the west side. CVC is a large
residential community that provides transitional
and permanent housing and supportive services
for formerly homeless and precariously housed
individuals and families. More than 600 Veterans
currently call Century Villages at Cabrillo home.
Veterans are active and engaged in
service to the community through
newer non-profit organizations, such
as People of the Earth (POTE) Krew, Music Is
The Remedy (Rock for Vets), and the Veterans
Independence Day Celebration, long-established
non-profits, such as Habitat for Humanity
of Greater Los Angeles and the Long Beach
Veterans Day Committee, and traditional
Veterans’ support organizations, such as
Paralyzed Veterans of America, Vietnam Veterans
of America and the American Legion, which have
active chapters here.
Public Perception of Veterans
Need for Recognizing Veterans
Public portrayals of Veterans often focus
on the negative. A common sentiment among
Veterans’ community stakeholders is that the
media and popular culture portray Veterans as
“afflicted” by their service. While it is true that
some Veterans experience hardships because of
the impacts of their time in the service on their
mental and physical health, it is also true that
many Veterans do not experience such hardships.
Quipped one interviewee, “Veterans are not a
plague of locusts.”
15 16
How Service Eras Define
Recognition
Veterans of different service eras define what it
means to honor, recognize, and celebrate Veterans
in different ways.
Older generations of Veterans, often referred to
as pre-9/11 Veterans, may define celebrations as
parades, and commemorations as permanent plaques
or plazas wherein bronze statues and military artifacts are installed. Younger, post-9/11 Veterans seek
opportunities to serve their communities through the
camaraderie of mission-driven activities and friendly
competitions with their fellow Veterans.
Said one post-9/11 Veteran who participated in a
community input session,
“ I don’t want to be
honored with hoopla.
I don’t need a plaque
or a parade. I want a
purpose or a project.
I want a job to do. “
PORTRAIT OF THE LONG BEACH VETERANS COMMUNITY
17 18
Need for Improving Coordination
between Agencies for a Successful
Transition
Need for Improving Access to
Resource and Services: Coordination
A common belief among Veterans’ community
stakeholders is that if there were more
effective and intentional coordination between
the agencies that serve Veterans at the
transition, it could smooth the way to greater
access to resources and services throughout a
Veteran’s lifetime.
Said one interviewee, “Greater coordination
between agencies at transition
prevents the ‘systems failure’ that
results in harder-to-fix problems down
the road,” such as long-term unemployment
and underemployment, drug addiction and
homelessness.
Another interviewee put it this way, “Even
before addressing unemployment and
homelessness is being supported at the
transition.”
Veterans’ service providers need to talk to
each other. Service providers who participated
in community input sessions appreciated the
opportunity to engage with other providers. Said
one such participant, “It was refreshing to
engage with other service providers,
and we need to communicate with
each other more often.”
Veterans’ service providers need a place
to quickly access information about other
available local services and resources and who
to contact at these agencies. When a service
provider doesn’t have what a Veteran is seeking,
that provider needs to be able to connect the
Veteran to the right local resource and the right
local person right away. Having one place where
such “hyperlocal” information may be stored,
accessed, and updated is essential.
The City can play a leading role in bringing Veterans’ service providers together. The Veterans’ Commission selected these transition-related areas as priorities: employment, education, housing, and mental and physical health and well-being.
PORTRAIT OF THE LONG BEACH VETERANS COMMUNITY
19 20
Need for Improving Access to
Resources and Services: Employment
Need for Improving Access to
Resources and Services: Education
“Veterans have jobs, but not careers.”
One interviewee said that Veterans come out of
the military “poorly prepared and unrealistic about
their employment prospects.” Underemployment,
defined as not having enough paid work or not
doing work that makes full use of one’s skills and
abilities, is common among Veterans.
Veterans’ community stakeholders consistently
pointed to the need for Veterans to connect
with each other and with employment
opportunities. They identified “Vet-to-Vet”
mentoring as a means of doing just that.
“Vets already in the workforce need to
help other Vets transform themselves
from warrior to worker. They need to
know how to dress, how to talk, how to
do a great resume, and more.”
They also pointed to a need for leadership and
initiative on the part of the business community.
“We need synergy between employers
and businesses to put together
programs that identify available
jobs and recruit Veterans for these
positions.”
Veterans underutilize the GI bill for career
education and training. Veterans can access
the GI bill to pay tuition and housing expenses
for 36 months of enrollment in a degree program
at a college or university. The GI bill may also be
used to pay for vocational training, work-study
programs, apprenticeship trainings, licensing and
certification programs, and more.
Some Veterans use up their GI bill benefits
quickly and run out the clock before they have a
degree in-hand. Local Veterans in one community
input session shared that they were either in
this predicament themselves or knew of other
Veterans who did not finish their studies. Stated
one interviewee, “Veterans need to use the
GI bill effectively towards employment,
not just to pay for bills and a couple of
classes, but with the goal of a career.”
PORTRAIT OF THE LONG BEACH VETERANS COMMUNITY
21 22
Need for Improving
Access to Resources and
Services: Mental Health
and Physical Health and
Well-Being
Suicide
The percentage of suicides for Veterans
under 40 is more than three times higher
than that of the general population in
Long Beach.
This is a new and surprising finding. Mental health challenges, substance use disorders, chronic medical conditions, and chronic pain left poorly treated or untreated altogether, are causally related to suicide. We must understand more about this phenomenon and the City can play an important role in bringing Veteran-serving organizations together to address it.
PORTRAIT OF THE LONG BEACH VETERANS COMMUNITY
23 24
Medical Care
Some Veterans reported that they do not
receive or pursue adequate care for their
mental or physical health conditions. Eligibility
for VA health care may be one factor in why
Veterans are leaving their mental or physical
health conditions untreated. While there are
some exceptions, a service member must have
served for 24 months and must have received an
honorable discharge from the service to qualify
for care. If a Veteran who doesn’t qualify for VA
health care cannot afford health insurance or lacks
employer-subsidized insurance, they have little
access to the care they need.
Feelings of shame about and the stigma associated
with certain experiences and health conditions,
from military sexual trauma to substance use
disorder, prevent some Veterans from seeking
professional help or following through on a
treatment plan.
PORTRAIT OF THE LONG BEACH VETERANS COMMUNITY
Need for Improving Access to
Resources and Services among
Veteran Subpopulations in Long Beach
Accessing resources and services poses
challenges for some Veteran subpopulations,
including women, seniors, low-income,
disabled and LGBTQ Veterans. Seniors need
access to resources like transportation and
housing that can accommodate their unique
needs.
Seniors and people with disabilities are also more
likely to experience loneliness and isolation, which
negatively impacts their mental and physical
health and well-being. These populations need
extra outreach and support.
Women and LGBTQ Veterans may have endured
discrimination, sexual harassment, or sexual
abuse while in the military. They are less likely
to admit they served in the military or to access
their VA benefits, including health care services, to
which they are entitled.
It is important to note here that Veteran
subpopulations are intersectional; for example, a
senior Veteran may also have a disability and be
low-income.
25 26
Vets Helping Vets
In key informant interviews and community input
sessions, participants pointed to Veterans helping other Veterans, also called “peer-to-peer” and “Vets to Vets” mentoring, as a model for bridging service gaps among
older Veterans and those with disabilities.
In a Vets-to-Vets volunteer program, Veteran
volunteers help other Veterans with daily
activities, connect them to resources and
services or simply visit them regularly to check
on their well-being.
These initiatives not only represent a cost-effective way to reduce the isolation and loneliness these Veterans
experience but also complement the work of case managers and social workers at places like Century Villages at Cabrillo and American Gold Star Manor where formerly homeless
and precariously housed senior Veterans and Veterans with disabilities now live in permanent housing.
PORTRAIT OF THE LONG BEACH VETERANS COMMUNITY
27 28
Not Another Website
Directly connecting Veterans to resources and services is more important than just providing information via a website. This is the case both at transition and throughout a Veteran’s lifetime. Said one community input session participant,
Service providers want to connect
with Veterans and Veterans want
to connect with service providers.
Both Veterans and service providers
consistently said that connecting
with each other, via the Internet or
in-person, is challenging.
The Long Beach Veterans
Commission determined that
neither establishing itself as a
direct service provider nor creating
another website would effectively
address the disconnect between
Veterans and service providers. The
Long Beach Veterans Commission
sees helping Veterans’ service
providers as one of the most
effective ways to help Veterans in
our community.
These organizations could use a
platform like Unite Us, a referral
platform already being utilized
in the Long Beach Health and
Human Services Department, as a
knowledge base to connect local
Veterans to the resources and
services they need more quickly. A
knowledge base is different from
a database because it is dynamic,
interactive and “hyperlocal.” Service
providers use the knowledge base
to communicate with each other to
pinpoint what services a Veteran
needs, refer the Veteran to the right
local service provider, and to track
the outcome.
“ Websites connect people to
information, not to people. They can
point you in the right direction, but
you still have to dig around to get
connected to an actual person who
can help you with what you need. “
PORTRAIT OF THE LONG BEACH VETERANS COMMUNITY
29 30
3.6%
16%
4.2%
35%
17%
7.1%
15%
24%
World War II
Vietnam
Gulf War II
(Iraq & Afghanistan)
Korean Conflict
Gulf War I
Between Conflicts
16,927
Veterans in Long Beach
of Long Beach’s adult population
are Veterans of the U.S. military
63% White 22% Black/African American 7% Asian Hispanic or Latino Service Era
Race Ethnicity
Long Beach Veterans Population at a Glance
31 32
Need for Housing Opportunities for
Precariously Housed and Homeless
Veterans
Long Beach Veterans Population: A
Closer Look
Even as the number of homeless Veterans has
decreased over the last several years, finding
affordable housing and remaining housed is a
problem in Long Beach, not just for Veterans,
but for many individuals and families. The City
of Long Beach has been recognized as a leader
for its efforts to end Veterans’ homelessness.
Observed one interviewee, “I think this is
where Long Beach has shone. The City
has done a great job of working with
local providers and getting homeless
Veterans off the streets.”
The City was nationally recognized for the
Mayor’s Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness
in November of 2016. Through this one-year
inter-agency initiative, 660 homeless Veterans
obtained the support services they needed to find
permanent housing. The City achieved functional
zero for Veterans experiencing homelessness,
meaning that any Veteran experiencing
homelessness who was seeking housing could be
housed.
Even as the number of homeless Veterans has
decreased, an affordable housing crisis in Long
Beach due to rising housing costs and low vacancy
rates continues. For example, the number of older
apartment buildings being purchased by investors
and rehabilitated increased by 170 percent
between 2012 and 2019. This has resulted in
greater numbers of lower-income renters having
to vacate their units. These conditions, in turn,
decrease the availability of housing units for which
Veterans with Department of Housing and Urban
Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing
program (HUD-VASH) vouchers and non-Veterans
must compete.
One solution for the affordable housing crisis
as it affects Veterans, is to set aside units
specifically for Veterans in new low-income
housing developments. In recent years, the City
has increased the number of low-income housing
units available for Veterans, including those with
dishonorable discharges, with the development of
Anchor Place in Century Villages at Cabrillo in ZIP
code 90810 and Beacon Pointe in ZIP code 90813.
The Long Beach Veterans Commission will
support innovative local programs that make
housing more affordable for everyone or result
in set asides for Veterans in low-income housing
projects. It will also support policies at the City,
state and federal levels that address the lack
of affordable housing, low-income housing
development and transitional and permanent
housing for precariously housed and homeless
Veterans.
The Long Beach Veterans’ population is aging along with the rest of the City, but at even more dramatic rates. The percentage of 65 and older Veterans is more than four times than that of the 65 and older non-Veteran population.
Long Beach Veteran age distribution:
12% are ages 18-34; 23% are ages 35-54; 18% are ages 55-64; 25% are ages 65-74; 22% are ages 75+ of Long Beach
Veterans are
55 years of age
or older
Fewer Veterans in Long Beach as Senior Veteran
Population Increases
65%
PORTRAIT OF THE LONG BEACH VETERANS COMMUNITY
33 34
Decreasing Veterans Population
Economic and Physical Well-Being
PORTRAIT OF THE LONG BEACH VETERANS COMMUNITY
While both the decrease in the numbers of
Veterans overall and the graying of the Veterans
population aligns with state and national trends,
increasingly, these trends are linked to the
affordable housing crisis. Veterans who were
interviewed or who participated in strategic plan
community input sessions linked the shrinking of
the Veterans’ population to a lack of affordable
housing in Long Beach, especially for younger
Veterans, defined here as Veterans under 40
(Gulf War II/Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans). A
lack of affordable housing is not only an obstacle
for Veterans returning home after serving in the
military or seeking to relocate in Long Beach, but
also for Veterans who already live here who must
vacate their rental units due to rent increases.
11.6%
49.7%
living below the
poverty line
use the VA Long
Beach
have service-related disabilities
unemployed
experiencing
homelessness
5.3%
8.6%
17.1%
35 36
Suicide Rates among Veterans in Long Beach
PORTRAIT OF THE LONG BEACH VETERANS COMMUNITY
A total of 51 Veteran suicides were reported in Long
Beach between 2014 and 2020. While suicide accounts
for less than three percent of all deaths among both Long Beach Veterans and non-Veterans, it represents
28.6 percent of all Veteran deaths among
Veterans under the age of 40.
Nearly 1 in 3 deaths among Veterans under
the age of 40 are caused by suicide
Sources:
City of Long Beach 2020 Point In Time Homeless Estimates (PIT) Housing Assistance Council Tabulations of the Census Bureau’s 2015-2019 American Community Survey Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office, Death Certificate Data United States Census Bureau’s 2015-2019 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates VA Long Beach Healthcare System
In comparison, suicide makes up 8.6 percent of all
non-Veteran deaths under the age of 40. In short, the
percentage of deaths by suicide among the Veteran
population under 40 is more than three times higher
than of the non-Veteran population under 40.
1in3
nearly
37 38
G OA L S , O B J E CT I V E S ,
STRATEGIES &
RECOMMENDATIONS
The goals, objectives and strategies presented here
are not only informed by data collected through
research, interviews, conversations and community
input sessions but also by the likelihood that they
will be achieved because of a strong network of
relationships now in place, access to available City
resources, and the possibility of establishing a City of Long Beach Office of Veterans Support.
The City and the Veterans Commission have
forged strong relationships with local Veteranserving institutions and organizations large and small, from the VA Long Beach to City HeART,
a local non-profit that operates out of Century
Villages at Cabrillo.
These relationships build the
foundation for collaborations and
partnerships to realize this plan.
Members of the Veterans’ Commission are both
members and leaders of local, Long Beachbased Veterans-related non-profits as well as neighborhood, business and real estate
associations. They are active in their communities,
availing themselves of volunteer service
opportunities either as Veterans or ordinary
citizens. They have their fingers on the pulse of
events and activities and the network of Veteranserving organizations in the Greater Long Beach area, including North Orange County, and South
Los Angeles County.
Members of the Veterans Commission and the
Commission’s staff person have also forged
strong working relationships with various City
departments including the Economic Development
Department, Parks, Recreation and Marine, the
City Manager’s Public Information Office and the
City’s non-profit, Partners of Parks.
39 40
GOALS, OBJECTIVES, STRATEGIES & RECOMMENDATIONS
Goal 1
Long Beach recognizes Veterans for their strengths
and as valued members of our community, and
regularly celebrates and honors them.
OBJECTIVE 1.1
OBJECTIVE 1.3
OBJECTIVE 1.4
OBJECTIVE 1.2
Promote positive portrayals of Veterans by highlighting their strengths and achievements in public.
Launch the multimedia Long Beach Veterans Stories Campaign.
Bring Veterans and non-Veterans together to celebrate Veterans in City parks and public spaces where Veterans-related markers and monuments are located.
Recognize Long Beach Veterans of different service eras utilizing a light pole banners program.
1.1a
1.3a
1.4a
1.1b
1.3b
1.4b
Launch an annual Veterans Public Relations
Campaign to take place around the Veterans’
Day holiday, leveraging available City
resources including robust social media
outlets and an electronic billboard.
Develop a multimedia campaign which could
include video interviews, a documentary, a
publication, and a blog.
Identify new forms of celebration that
reflect the interests and values of younger
generations of Veterans.
Highlight equity, diversity and inclusion
in the campaign and feature profiles of
women, LGBTQ, seniors, and Veterans with
disabilities from different service eras.
Focus on equity, diversity and inclusion
as part of the campaign and feature
women, LGBTQ, seniors, and Veterans with
disabilities from different service eras.
Plan, deliver and promote events and
activities in these spaces, leveraging the use
of available City resources from robust social
media outlets to an electronic billboard.
41 42
OBJECTIVE 1.5
Enhance public awareness of and engagement with parks named for Veterans and existing Veteran-related monuments and public art throughout the City utilizing an interactive digital map that shows the locations of each of these sites and tells the stories behind them.
GOALS, OBJECTIVES, STRATEGIES & RECOMMENDATIONS
OBJECTIVE 1.6
Launch the “Veterans Work Detail” program to provide volunteer service opportunities for Veterans.
1.6a 1.6b
Work with the City and the Veterans’
community to plan Veterans’ Work Detail
projects, such as City beach clean-ups and
park improvement projects.
Promote Veterans Work Detail events
by leveraging the use of free, available
resources, from the City’s robust social media
outlets to an electronic billboard.
43 44
Goal 2
Veteran-serving organizations and agencies coordinate
well to ensure that Veterans successfully transition from military service to civilian life.
Goal 3
Veterans readily access the resources and services they need in the areas of housing, education, employment,
and mental and physical health and well-being posttransition and throughout their lifetimes.
GOALS, OBJECTIVES, STRATEGIES & RECOMMENDATIONS
OBJECTIVE 2.1
Establish mechanisms to connect and coordinate local organizations that provide transition-related resources and services for Veterans.
OBJECTIVE 3.1
Lead a summit that brings together local providers of resources and services as a starting point for conversations focused on improving Veterans access to these resources and services.
OBJECTIVE 3.2
Form a Commission-led task force to
provide the structure for continuing
the conversation and making
recommendations to City Council that
focus on improving Veterans’ access
to resources and services throughout
their lifetimes.
2.1a 2.1b
Lead a summit that brings together local
organizations and agencies that provide
transition-related resources and services to
envision and explore a more coordinated
local response. Focus on organizations
that address employment, workforce
development, education, and mental and
physical health and well-being.
Form a Veterans’ Commission-led task force
that provides a structure for continuing the
transition-related conversation and making
recommendations to City Council that focus
on improving Veterans’ access to resources
and services at the transition.
OBJECTIVE 3.3
Ensure services and supports are readily accessible and culturally supportive for underserved Veteran subpopulations such as women, seniors, low-income, LGBTQ and Veterans with disabilities.
3.3a
Establish task force subcommittees to focus on identifying key needs and service gaps among underserved Veteran subpopulations and exploring solutions. 45 46
OBJECTIVE 3.6
Build and strengthen the
network of relationships and
information needed to develop
the Unite Us information and
referral platform to connect
Veterans to the local resources
and services they need quickly
and effectively.
OBJECTIVE 3.4
Work with local providers of transitional and permanent housing for senior Veterans to explore options for Veteran-to-Veteran volunteer support programs.
3.4a
Identify best practices for recruiting and training for Veteran-to-Veteran volunteer initiatives to help bridge service gaps among senior Veterans.
GOALS, OBJECTIVES, STRATEGIES & RECOMMENDATIONS
OBJECTIVE 3.7
Offer Veterans Employment Training Sessions (VETS) for Veterans seeking new employment, education, job training, career-building, and networking opportunities.
3.7a 3.7b
Work with the City’s Economic Development
Department to plan and deliver a VETS event
at least once each year.
OBJECTIVE 3.5
Bring together organizations and agencies that focus on Veterans’ mental health and suicide prevention to explore options for improving access to these resources for Long Beach Veterans under the age of 40.
3.5a 3.5b
Use the City’s robust social media platforms
and other available resources to increase
public awareness of the high percentage of
suicides among Veterans under 40 in Long
Beach.
Partner with the Long Beach VA and LA
County to ensure access to crisis lines and
necessary supports to reduce Veteran
suicides.
Strengthen, expand and diversify the
Commission’s VETS initiative to connect
Veterans to the industry-related resources
and services they need to succeed. (The Long
Beach Veterans Commission created and
organized two successful VETS events, one in
2018 and the other in 2019, comprising panel
discussions and a resource fair.)
47 48
OBJECTIVE 4.1
OBJECTIVE 3.8
Work with the Veterans’ community to make or support policy recommendations to increase access to affordable housing and prevent homelessness at the local and federal levels.
Act as a clearing house of information on “all things Veteran” in Long Beach.
4.1a
3.8a
3.8d
Track legislation related to affordable
housing access, homelessness and the
precariously housed in general, and
specifically for Veterans at the city, county,
state, and federal levels. Closely and regularly track and monitor information in the areas of:
Closely and regularly track information about: Veterans-related policies, programs, resources and services at the municipal, county, state and federal level and local and regional public commemorations, celebrations, activities and events that celebrate Veterans, bring Veterans and non-Veterans together or offer volunteer service opportunities for Veterans. Disseminate information to the Veterans community via social media and a quarterly e-newsletter.
Collect and analyze data on
the Long Beach Veterans’
population and present
it to the public and City
Council on a regular basis.
4.1b
3.8b
3.8e
4.1c
3.8c
Coordinate with the City’s housing and
homeless services providers to make policy
recommendations and support these
recommendations at the state and federal
level.
Establish mechanisms
for disseminating tracked
information to the
Veterans’ community.
Evaluate the effectiveness of the summits, task forces, hotline, Unite Us referral platform, newsletter and other communications and any other activities, report on findings and implement improvement strategies as needed.
Ensure that the City’s legislative
efforts include Veterans as part
of their legislative agendas
related to the precariously
housed, homelessness and
access to affordable housing. Launch and extensively promote a City Veterans’ hotline to Veterans seeking resources and services. The hotline connects the Veteran to a City staff person who will use the Unite Us platform to connect them to the right person at the right local service provider and to track these referrals.
GOALS, OBJECTIVES, STRATEGIES & RECOMMENDATIONS
Goal 4
Veterans who are precariously housed or who are
experiencing homelessness have access to affordable
housing and the supportive services they need to remain housed.
49 50
OBJECTIVE 4.2
Support innovative strategies, programs, and policies to reduce barriers to housing Veterans.
4.2a
1. 2.
3. Support efforts to
incentivize public/private
partnerships that result
in the development of
Veteran-specific affordable
housing projects in Long
Beach. Coordinating City-wide efforts to recognize
Veterans through public celebrations that
bring Veterans and non-Veterans together
and provide opportunities for Veterans to
volunteer for a City improvement project.
Serving as lead convener of local public
and private and non-profit and for-profit
organizations and agencies that serve
Veterans at transition and throughout their
lifetimes for the City of Long Beach.
Establishing a referral platform that connects
Veterans to the local resources and services
they need when they need them.
Partnering with resource and service
providers to connect Veterans to local
education, networking, job training, and
career-building opportunities.
Serving as the “go-to” for up-to-date
information on all local Veterans-related
resources, services, programs, policies,
public celebrations and demographic data
for the City of Long Beach and the Veterans’
community.
Make or support policy recommendations
at the state and federal level in the areas
of affordable housing, homelessness,
education, employment and mental and
physical health and well-being for our local
Veterans.
4.2b 4.2c
Support efforts to modify
eligibility standards and
requirements for housing
and supportive housing
programs so that Veterans
may be housed more
quickly.
Support innovative policies
and programs at the local
and federal levels that
ensure that Veterans have
access to the supportive
resources and services they
need to remain housed.
GOALS, OBJECTIVES, STRATEGIES & RECOMMENDATIONS
Goal 5
An Office of Veterans Support is established in the
Health and Human Services Department to serve as
the infrastructure to carry out the goals, objectives and strategies outlined in the strategic plan.
This office would plan, oversee, and manage the City’s
efforts to uplift and support Veterans by:
4. 5.
6. 51 52
53 54
APPENDICES
Commissioner Jesse Blanco was born in Orange, California, but raised in Rhode Island. He served in the United States Navy from 2009 to 2014 as a submarine sonar technician. Jesse relocated to Southern California in 2014 to attend Coastline Community College where he received his Associate Degree. While at Coastline, he worked in the Veterans Resource Center and served as president of the Veterans Club. In 2017, he transferred to California State University, Long Beach, to complete his degree in accountancy. Jesse now works at Windes in the Audit and Assurance Department.
Jesse Blanco, Commissioner for District 1
Commissioner Mike Shaknovich, a Long Beach resident and entrepreneur since 2013, has produced numerous events for the City. In addition, he has owned and operated retail and event-related businesses and served on associations, including the Historic Old Pine Avenue Business Association and the Long Beach Music Council. Mike served in the United States Marine Corps from 2001 to 2006, during which time he was stationed in 29 Palms, Okinawa and Camp Pendleton. As a local realtor, he works with Homes for Heroes and helps Veterans, law enforcement, healthcare workers, firefighters, and educators to achieve home ownership.
Mike Shaknovich, Commissioner for District 2
Commissioner Gus Orozco, a Long Beach native, joined the United States Army in 2005, deployed to Iraq in 2007, and earned a Combat Action Badge during the Battle for Sadr City. In 2010, he returned to Long Beach, joined the Army Reserve and graduated from the U.S. Army Drill Sergeant Academy in 2012. He earned his Associate of Arts degree from Long Beach City College in 2015, where he helped re-start the Veterans Club. In 2017, he completed his Bachelor of Science in Geography from California State University, Long Beach, where he also served as president of the Veterans Network and on the Associated Students Inc.
Executive Cabinet. Gus is an avid camper and environmentalist. He is currently employed by the Department of the Army at the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Bell, California and serves as a Senior Drill Sergeant in the Army Reserve.
Gustavo Orozco, Commissioner for District 3
The Long Beach Veterans
Commission: Member Profiles
55 56
Commissioner Josh “Smitty” Smith joined the United States Army Reserve right out of high school. He deployed to Kuwait in 2003, during his senior year of undergraduate studies at the University of Nevada, Reno. He served 12 months in country and returned home to earn his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.
He then earned a Master of Arts in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Alliant International University in San Diego. In 2009, Smitty moved to Long Beach and joined the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) as a Health Care Education Specialist. Smitty serves as president of the Nevada Alumni of Southern California, as a member at-large for his chapter of the Combat Vets Motorcycle Association, and as a master brewer with Long Beach Homebrewers.
Josh Smith, Commissioner for District 4
Commissioner Ricky Fernandez served in the United States Marine Corps from 2000 to 2008. As a Southern California native, born and raised in Garden Grove, Ricky was enamored with Long Beach because of musical acts like Sublime and Snoop Dogg. Upon completion of active duty in 2004, Ricky relocated to Long Beach, became tour manager for a local band called Bargain Music, and met his future wife, third-generation Long Beach native Jenn Metz, at a concert aboard the Queen Mary. Ricky, a locksmith by trade, is the wholesale branch account manager for Allegion, the largest door hardware manufacturer in the U.S. As an Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Veteran, Ricky knows first-hand some of the challenges associated with the transition from active duty to civilian life and is committed to empowering his fellow brothers- and sisters-in-arms.
Ricky Fernandez, Commissioner for District 5
Commissioner Lance Santiago served in the United States Marine Corps from 2011 to 2015. An Embarkation and Logistics Specialist, Lance deployed to Afghanistan and Romania in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). After his enlistment, he earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a double concentration in Operations and Supply Chain Management and Business Management from California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). Lance is presently employed by an American multinational aerospace and defense technology company in El Segundo. An avid runner and cyclist, Lance has participated in half-marathons, marathons, and triathlons.
Lance is a volunteer mentor to CSULB students through the non-profit America Needs You.
Lance Santiago, Commissioner for District 6
Commissioner Juanita Doplemore enlisted in the United States Army in 2001.
After completing her basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, she was assigned to the Finance Battalion in Würzburg, Germany, and then deployed to Kosovo in 2002. After active duty, she joined the Army Reserve in 2004, and served in the Regional Readiness Command in Bell, California. Juanita is the founder of the Collins Neighborhood Association in North Long Beach. As a board member of the International Association of Military Women of Color, she advocates for military service members and their families. Juanita has been recognized by the Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles for serving as a troop leader and mentor for more than a decade.
Juanita Doplemore, Commissioner for District 9
Commissioner Ryan Antes was born and raised in Long Beach. After graduating from Long Beach Polytechnic High School in 1999, he enlisted in the United States Army and served in the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment from 1999 to 2004. He saw combat in both Afghanistan and Iraq. After his enlistment, he returned home to Long Beach and received his Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology at California State University, Long Beach. He then obtained his Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School. Ryan presently works as a trial lawyer and is a partner in a civil litigation firm in Orange County.
Ryan Antes, Commissioner for District 7
Commissioner Sylvia N. Contreras worked in administration for Fortune 500 companies for more than 30 years before becoming a licensed realtor. Sylvia’s husband, United States Air Force Veteran Emilio Contreras Jr., specialized in avionic communications during his four years in the service (1980 to 1984).
This prepared him well for his career of more than 30 years in Information Technology. The pair met in the technical support department of a software development company in Santa Monica in 1993, married the following year, and relocated to Long Beach. Sylvia and Emilio simultaneously earned their Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the University of Phoenix at its former satellite location in Long Beach. They always enjoy an opportunity to travel and immerse themselves in their heartfelt interests in military and Southern California history.
Sylvia N. Contreras, Commissioner for District 8
APPENDICES
57 58
Defining the “Veterans’ Community”
Methodology & Sources of Data for
the Strategic Plan
The Long Beach Veterans Commission
Literature Review, Demographic Data, and Input from
Veterans’ Community Stakeholders
The “Veterans’ community” is defined as a
subpopulation of former service members,
together with their immediate and extended
families, and the government agencies and
for-profit and non-profit organizations that
serve them. The “Veterans’ community” is not a
singular, monolithic entity into which all Veterans
and all Veterans’ issues fit neatly. While former
service members share the overall experience of
military culture, Veterans’ needs, aspirations, and
interests vary greatly, as no two service members
are exactly alike. Veterans’ post-service lives are
shaped by their service era, the impacts of their
service duties on their mental and physical health,
and their experience of the transition from active
duty to civilian life and the sometimes-complicated
employment, education, housing, and family
relationship-related adjustments this entails.
The nine-member Long Beach Veterans
Commission is comprised of a panel of experts
appointed specifically for their energy, experience,
and knowledge of the local community. Their input
on how to support our local Veterans continues to
be an ongoing conversation.
Commissioners identified Veterans’ community
stakeholders for key informant interviews, revised
the interview protocol and conducted interviews.
They also reviewed and filtered extensive
amounts of data to develop draft goals, objectives,
and strategies. Finally, the Commissioners led
community input sessions at places where
Veterans gather to refine the goals, objectives and
strategies and suggested improvements that made
the plan stronger.
An extensive literature review was conducted
that explored the challenges and opportunities
Veterans face. Demographic data on the City’s
Veteran population, collected from the American
Community Survey, the annual survey carried out
by the US Census Bureau, served as another major
data source. Additional data sources included
the Los Angeles County Coroner Department and
the VA Long Beach. Raw data sets were analyzed
by the Long Beach Health and Human Services
Department.
Input from Veterans’ community stakeholders
was collected in four ways: through structured
interviews with 30 key informants, at community
input sessions held at places where Veterans
gather, through follow-up conversations with
selected interviewees, and informal interviews
with approximately 16 additional key informants.
Structured interviews were transcribed and
analyzed for major themes. At its strategic
planning retreat, the Veterans’ Commission
reviewed this analysis of key informant interview
data as well as the literature review and an
analysis of demographic data to determine four
priority areas.
At five separate community input sessions held
at places like the American Legion Post 496, the
Veteran Services Office at Long Beach City College,
and Century Villages at Cabrillo, Commissioners
engaged other Veterans in an interactive process.
Approximately 180 Veterans participated in these
sessions and identified issues which deepened
our understanding of the priorities, which became
goals, and shaped the objectives and strategies
for each of these goals. This process was an
iterative one, with suggestions and comments
from community input sessions informing and
improving subsequent drafts of the plan.
Follow-up conversations with selected
interviewees and informal interviews with 16
additional Veterans’ community stakeholders
provided opportunities to further address how the
objectives and strategies for the five main goals
may be carried out.
The plan also reflects an understanding of the
programs, resources, services, activities, and
events that are currently available to Veterans
in our community and the organizations and
agencies involved.
APPENDICES
59 60
Long Beach ZIP Codes with Highest Proportion of Veterans Long Beach ZIP Codes with Highest Proportion of Veterans Living Below Poverty
The proportion of Veterans who live in the City’s 11 ZIP codes ranges from 2.6 percent to 7.5 percent.
The proportion of Veterans who live below the federal poverty line in the City’s 11 ZIP codes ranges from
4.1 to 23.6 percent.
7.5%
23.6% 19.5% 17.9%
6.8% 5.3%
Long Beach Veterans Population:
ZIP Code Comparisons for Selected
Demographics
90802 90807
90813
90808
90802
90803 & 90815
90814
90813 90804 90840
90822
V.A. Hospital
Century Villages
at Cabrillo
90814
90806
90810
90805
90807
90806
90808
90815
90803
61 62
Long Beach ZIP Codes with Highest Proportion of Unemployed Veterans
ZIP Codes with Highest Proportion of Veterans Served by the VA Data Relationships
1. 2.
3. The proportion of unemployed Veterans who live in the City’s 11 ZIP codes ranges from 1.7 percent to
13.6 percent.
The proportion of Veterans with service-related disabilities who live in the City’s 11 ZIP codes ranges from
8.2 percent to 33.9 percent.
In certain ZIP codes, some demographic data points may correlate such as the percentages of Veterans who live below the poverty line, who may also be service-disabled, unemployed or served by the VA Long Beach. Further research is required to make the connections.
At 23.6 percent, 90813 has
the highest percentage of Veterans living
in poverty as well the highest percentage
of people living in poverty in the City of Long
Beach at 34 percent. ZIP code 90802 has the
second highest percentage of Veterans living
in poverty at 19.5 percent and the second
highest percentage of people living in poverty
in Long Beach at 28.2 percent.
Not only does Long Beach ZIP code 90813
have the highest percentage of Veterans
living below the poverty line at 23.6 percent,
but also the second highest percentage of
service-related disabilities at 28.3 percent,
and the third highest percentage of Veterans
who are served by the VA Long Beach at 68.1
percent.
Long Beach ZIP code 90814 has the highest
percentage of unemployed Veterans at 13.6
percent, the second highest percentage of
Veterans living below the poverty line at 17.9
percent, and the fourth highest percentage of
Veterans served by the VA Long Beach at 57.6
percent.
Note: Nearly one hundred percent (96.6%) of the Veterans in 90810 (West side) have been served by the VA. This correlates with the location of a VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) at Century Villages at Cabrillo, which provides transitional and permanent housing and supportive services for up to 700 Veterans.
13.6% 12%
96.6% 68.1% 57.6%
6.9%
90814 90810
90810 90813 90814
90802
APPENDICES
63 64
Selected References Acknowledgements
1. Absher, Jim. “What Can You Use Your GI
Bill For?” September 9, 2020, military.com.
Retrieved from: https://www.military.com/
education/gi-bill/what-can-you-use-the-gi-billfor.html
2. Addison, Brian. “The Beacon, Long Beach’s
latest affordable housing complex, begins
to take shape.” August 6, 2018, Long Beach
Post. Retrieved from: https://lbpost.com/
longbeachize/urban-design/affordablehousing-transit-oriented
3. American Fact Finder, United States Census
Bureau. “Veteran Status: 2015-2019 American
Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.”
4. Barrera, C. and Carter, P. “Challenges on
the Homefront: Underemployment Hits
Veterans Hard.” Retrieved from: https://www.
callofdutyendowment.org/content/dam/atvi/
callofduty/code/pdf/ZipCODE_Vet_Report_
FINAL.pdf
5. City of Long Beach Department of
Development Services. “Report on Tenant
Assistance Policies,” March 2019. Retrieved
from: http://longbeach.gov/globalassets/citymanager/media-library/documents/memos-tothe-mayor-tabbed-file-list-folders/2019/march18--2019---report-on-tenant-assistance-policies
6. City of Long Beach Public Information Office.
“White House Recognizes City of Long Beach
for Outstanding Efforts to End Veterans
Homelessness.” November 14, 2016. Retrieved
from: http://www.longbeach.gov/pressreleases/white-house-recognizes-city-of-longbeach-for-outstanding-efforts-to-end-veteranshomelessness/
7. Hansen, Randall S. “How to Successfully
Transition from Military to Civilian: A Guide
for Veterans and Former Military Personnel.”
Retrieved from: https://www.livecareer.com/
resources/jobs/search/military-to-civiliantransition
8. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
“Policy Agenda: Fulfill the Promise to Today’s
Veterans.” Retrieved from: https://iava.org/wpcontent/uploads/2017/03/IAVA_Policy_2017_ v8_125bleed.pdf
9. Morris, Asia. “Newly Opened Anchor Place
Provides Supportive Housing for Homeless
Veterans and Families.” November 6, 2017,
Long Beach Post. Retrieved from: https://
lbpost.com/news/business/development/
newly-opened-anchor-place-providessupportive-housing-for-homeless-families-andveterans
10. National Center for Veterans Analysis and
Statistics, United States Department of
Veterans Affairs. “Profile of Veterans: 2017.”
Retrieved from: https://www.va.gov/vetdata/
docs/SpecialReports/Profile_of_Veterans_2017.
pdf
11. Office of Mental Health and Suicide
Prevention, U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs. “2019 National Veteran Suicide
Prevention Annual Report. Retrieved from:
https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/docs/datasheets/2019/2019_National_Veteran_Suicide_ Prevention_Annual_Report_508.pdf
12. Russell-Kraft, Stephanie. “LGBTQ Vets,
Uncomfortable with VA, Look to Each Other
for Mental Health,” June 25, 2018, Task and
Purpose. https://taskandpurpose.com/lgbtqveterans-strive-military-health-care
13. University of Southern California’s Center
for Innovation and Research on Veterans
and Military Families. “State of the American
Veteran: The Los Angeles County Veterans
Study.” November 2014. http://cir.usc.edu/
wp-content/uploads/2013/10/USC010_
CIRLAVetReport_FPpgs.pdf
14. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. “Military
Sexual Trauma Fact Sheet.” Retrieved from:
https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/docs/mst_
general_factsheet.pdf
15. Veterans Employment and Training
Service, U.S. Department of Labor. “Latest
Unemployment Numbers.” Retrieved from:
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/vets/latestnumbers
16. Wadsworth, Margaret. “Veterans Eligibility for
VA Health Care.” Retrieved from: https://www.
nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/eligibility-vahealth-care.html Strategic Plan Leads
Gina Overholt, Ginger Lee, Kelly Colopy
Long Beach Veterans Commission
Ryan Antes
Jesse Blanco
Sylvia N. Contreras
Juanita Doplemore
Ricky Fernandez
Carlos Gonzalez (former member)
Gustavo Orozco
Lance Santiago
Mike Shaknovich
Josh “Smitty” Smith
Kiniko Willingham (former member)
Photographs
Laath Martin
Liezl Estipona
Britny Coker-Moen
Victor Barajas
Art Mortimer
Jesse Soria
Veronica Allen
Vicky Lerch
John Oppenheim
Josh “Smitty” Smith
Gus Orozco
Ricky Fernandez
Special Thanks
Jason Thompson, John Oppenheim,
Laath Martin
Key Organizations
American Gold Star Manor
American Legion #496
California State University Office of the
Chancellor, Veterans Affairs
Century Villages at Cabrillo
City HeART
Government Solutions
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los
Angeles
Long Beach Historical Society
Long Beach City College Veterans
Services Office
Long Beach Veterans Day Committee
Los Angeles County Department of
Mental Health Veteran Peer
Access Network (VPAN)
Los Angeles Homeless Services
Authority
OC Goodwill/Tierney Veterans Center
People Assisting the Homeless (PATH)
United States Veterans Initiative Long
Beach (US VETS)
USC Center for Innovation and
Research on Veterans & Military
Families
VA Long Beach Healthcare System
Veterans for Peace
Veteran Strong
65 66
Dedicated to Val Lerch
67 68
City of Long Beach
411 W. Ocean Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 90802
Long Beach Department of
Health & Human Services
2525 Grand Ave.
Long Beach, CA 90815
This information is available in an alternative format by request at 562.570.6257 For an electronic version of this document, visit our website at www.longbeach.gov/veterans Visit us at www.longbeach.gov
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