:
September 5, 2023
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
City of Long Beach
California
RECOMMENDATION:
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 proclamation 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, enhanced the 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 3,447 people experiencing homelessness throughout Long Beach, which is a 4.6 percent increase from 2022, the smallest increase Long Beach has reported since 2019. For reference, homelessness increased 7 percent from 2019 to 2020, and increased from 62 percent from 2020 to 2022 (the 2021 Count was canceled due to the pandemic). Of these 3, 447 people, 2,456 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.
Office of the City Manager
411 West Ocean Boulevard, 10th Floor Long Beach, CA 90802 (562) 570-6711
C-15
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
September 5, 2023
Proclamation 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. The local emergency is required to be reviewed every thirty (30) 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 Strategic Plan 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.
Actions Taken in the Past Four Weeks:
In the past four 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
• Continued to provide case management services at the Queensway Safe Parking program Monday through Friday from 5-8 pm.
• Launched the Outreach Request Form for Water Distribution and invited Community Partners to support the distribution program through the Homeless Services Bureau. • Temporarily increased emergency shelter operations for people experiencing homelessness in anticipation of Hurricane Hilary, providing more than 100 people experiencing homelessness with shelter and meals.
• Conducted outreach to people expe riencing homelessness in the LA River and throughout the Long Beach Community, offering shelter and advising of potentially dangerous storm conditions.
• Implemented Spanish language notifications for the Long Beach homelessness text alert program to increase accessibility to services and resources.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
September 5, 2023
Engage community in data, planning and assistance
• Began 5950 Long Beach Blvd (formerly Luxury Inn) outreach and canvassing. • Increased outreach with the Interdepartmental team to the downtown area, focusing on various cleanups and outreach with LA County Public Works.
Build capacity to address homelessness crisis
• Notified of $5.3 million for the second Encampment Resolution Grant to focus on BJK Library, Lincoln Park and other downtown areas. The focus will be on increasing access to housing and services.
Focus Areas for the Next Four Weeks
Staff will provide an oral report to City Council on September 05, 2023, focusing on activities of the next four weeks that contribute to the progress of the short and medium-term goals.
Topics will include:
Increase access to services
• Continue partnership conversations with Health Services Los Angeles County and Los Angeles Homelessness Services Authority.
• Continue to provide case management services at the Queensway Safe Parking program Monday through Friday from 5-8 pm.
• Continue to coordinate outreach to RV's in the West Side businesses areas near the LA River and the Magnolia Industrial Group (MIG).
Engage community in data, planning and assistance
• Refresh data on Homelessness Emergency Dashboard on September 7th. • Complete and launch a timeline of the emergency to be posted on the website to further educate people to the work of the emergency.
Build capacity to address homelessness crisis
• Plan for a convening to connect and brainstorm with Community Champions who are supporting homeless related services across the City to be held in October. • Continue 5950 LB Blvd outreach and engagement to community members in the surrounding area.
• 5950 Long Beach Blvd Open House set for September 16th at 9 am – 11 am.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
September 5, 2023
Increase interim and long-term housing access
• Finalize contracts with Rescue Mission for the 702 W Anaheim Site for the -term interim shelter.
This matter was reviewed by Deputy City Attorney Anita Lakhani on August 24, 2023, and by Budget Manager Grace H. Yoon on August 24, 2023.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action is requested on September 5, 2023, in accordance with the Long Beach Municipal Code requirements for the review of the local emergency. In order to report back within 30 days and to allow time for updates with the actions within the review period, 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,
THOMAS B. MODICA
CITY MANAGER
Attachments: A – Supporting Documentation on Actions Taken in the Past Four Weeks
PRESS RELEASE
City of Long Beach
Public Information Office
411 W. Ocean Blvd,
Long Beach, CA 90802
Press Release # 082223
8/22/2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Long Beach, CA – The City of Long Beach’s Homelessness Text Alert Program, which provides text notifications about services and resources available for people experiencing homelessness, is now offering notifications in Spanish. People interested in receiving text notifications in Spanish can text keyword “HOGAR” to 99411.
“Increasing accessibility to the services and resources available for people experiencing homelessness also includes language equity,” said Mayor Rex Richardson. “We are proud to continue to offer this text alert program – now sending messages in Spanish – so that we can continue to provide people with real-time information and connect more people to services.” Since its
launch in March 2023, more than 330 people have enrolled in the Long Beach Homelessness Text Alert program, which provides text notifications for a variety of updates including:
Operations updates for City-run services, such as the weekly schedule for the Mobile Access Center (MAC), additional services from partnering agencies available at the Multi-Service Center (MSC), and service capacity updates with alternative options, among others.
How to sign up for programs such as Safe Parking or emergency shelters.
Alerts for dangerous or inclement weather.
To sign up for the text alert program, people can text keyword “HOGAR” to 99411 for Spanish and keyword “HOME” to 99411 for English. People interested in receiving updates must opt-in and can opt- out at any time. Standard messaging rates apply.
Research indicates a significant number of people experiencing homelessness have cell phones. This additional method of outreach will increase the City’s direct access to these individuals and connect Long Beach Homelessness Text Alert Program Now Includes Spanish Notifications Opt-in messaging program connects people experiencing homelessness to resources and services with real-time updates
City of Long Beach Joint Information Center
562.570.NEWS
[email protected]
Select Language
▼ ATTATCHMENT A
even more to housing and support services.
To ensure people who are experiencing homelessness and have a cell phone are aware of this method of communication, information about the Homelessness Text Alert Program is shared during street outreach conducted by Homeless Services Bureau staff and to people seeking services at the Mobile Access Center and Multi-Service Center.
For more information on the City’s efforts to reduce homelessness in Long Beach, people may visit longbeach.gov/homelessness and follow @lbhealthdept and @longbeachcity on social media and follow the hashtag #EveryoneHomeLB.
For more news, pictures, videos and announcements of what’s happening in Long Beach, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
PRESS RELEASE
City of Long Beach
Public Information Office
411 W. Ocean Blvd,
Long Beach, CA 90802
Press Release # 82123-1
8/21/2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Following Tropical Storm Hilary, the City of Long Beach is conducting cleanup efforts across the city with focus on impact areas. Although the storm had the potential to cause widespread damage across the city, conditions were manageable. Through preparedness efforts by the City and by the community, aftereffects of the storm were greatly minimized.
“I’m proud of our city crews and volunteers who did an amazing job preparing our city for the impacts of the storm. We were ready,” said Mayor Rex Richardson. “Thank you to the Long Beach community for activating and getting prepared. When the potential of an emergency is upon us, it’s great to be part of a community that is prepared to step up to the challenge.” Over the weekend, Long Beach experienced over two inches of rain, winds up to 38 miles per hour and swells up to 6 feet. As with any storm, cleanup efforts need to be conducted. Cleanup efforts that have been taking place since the storm subsided, include:
Debris, trash and fallen tree limb cleanup, with over 100 calls of fallen tree limbs or fallen trees.
Crews have responded to 82 streetlight outages and 20 traffic signal outages, restoring and replacing as needed.
Making sure main arterial corridors are free of debris.
Cleaning parking lots and marinas.
Cleaning construction sites.
Addressing standing water.
City of Long Beach Cleanup Efforts Underway After Tropical Storm Hilary The City and Residents Were Ready and Prepared in Case Weather Conditions Escalated City of Long Beach Joint Information Center
562.570.NEWS
[email protected]
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Inspecting City facilities for leaks and water damage.
Responding to and assisting with downed power lines and a multitude of fire alarm activations.
Cleared remaining standing water throughout public areas and airfield at Airport.
Extensive and thorough clearing of foreign object debris on airfield at Airport. “I have to applaud our City team for this great effort,” said City Manager Tom Modica. “If we didn’t prepare, and the storm came through with full force, it could have been devastating. However, we were prepared and even though the storm was lighter than its potential, without the dedication and hard work of City staff, we would have still seen a lot of property damage from water intrusion and major flooding on our streets.
In order to minimize any potential damage or dangerous situations in the city due to the storm, the City conducted preparation efforts. The following is not a comprehensive list of the work that was conducted, but rather some highlights:
Activated the City Emergency Operations Center at a Level 2, a partial activation that requires coordination across multiple departments.
Stood up a Mobile Command Post and were fully operational in unified command across multiple departments.
Coordinated with LA County Office of Emergency Management and Disaster Management Area Coordinators in intelligence sharing and regional efforts and planning.
Activated the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) as well as other volunteers equaling nearly 100 people.
Activated Search and Rescue.
Monitored, rebuilt and fortified 2,960 linear feet of protective berms, hauling over 160,000 cubic feet of sand.
Cleared and created 12 storm water drainage channels.
Assisted in evacuation plans for Avalon residents, including establishing an 80-bed temporary shelter for Catalina Island residents should they need assistance.
Provided over 100 people experiencing homelessness with shelter and meals from the 150 additional temporary beds the City made available.
Conducted outreach to people experiencing homelessness in the LA River and throughout the Long Beach community, offering shelter and advising of potentially dangerous storm conditions. 100% of known areas of concern related to flooding were inspected and over 150 catch basins cleared.
3 pumps were deployed at flood locations to minimize impacts.
Inspected 23 pump station managed by the City.
Made 13 generators and 2 cranes available to respond to situations.
Numerous crews were on site and on standby to address flooding, catch basin cleaning, pump station failure, road closures, street lighting outages, traffic signal outages, tree service, generator deployment, infrastructure failure and respond to requests from the community.
Established a community hotline for questions about the storm.
Created an incident-specific website to keep the community informed.
Conducted over 50 news media interviews with nearly 275 news media mentions.
Sent out eight press releases to the media to inform the community of happenings related to the storm.
Sent out three alerts to the community via the AlertLB notification system.
Kept the community further informed with nearly 200 social media posts across activated City departments.
Conducted a livestream briefing for the community with Mayor Rex Richardson and incident responders.
Made 60,000 sandbags available to the community.
Assisted residents who needed extra support with home delivery of sandbags.
Conducted four swift water rescue responses to the LA River.
Dewatered flooded small vessels and assisted vessels in the marina that broke loose from strong ocean currents.
Staged water pumps around Airport airfield for quick action to potential flooding.
Prepped and secured construction areas around historic Airport terminal.
Covered critical baggage handling systems and facilities at Airport.
Responded to airline flight operations and adjustments in collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration.
“The city fared well throughout the tropical storm largely in part due to city crews proactively following pre-established plans”, said Reggie Harrison, Director of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Communications. “City staff’s preparedness, coupled with residents taking the tropical storm seriously, created a resilient Long Beach, and we should all be proud of that”.
For more information regarding the City’s preparation and response to Tropical Storm Hilary, visit www.longbeach.gov/lbrain.
About the City of Long Beach
Long Beach is nestled along the Southern California coast and home to approximately 466,000 people.
As an award-winning full-service charter city, Long Beach offers the amenities of a metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods, culture and community. With a bustling downtown and over six miles of scenic beaches, Long Beach is a renowned tourist and business destination and home to the iconic Queen Mary, nationally recognized Aquarium of the Pacific and Long Beach Airport, award-winning Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center and world- class Port of Long Beach.
For more information about the City of Long Beach, visit longbeach.gov/. Watch us on LBTV. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
For more news, pictures, videos and announcements of what’s happening in Long Beach, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
PRESS RELEASE
City of Long Beach
Public Information Office
411 W. Ocean Blvd,
Long Beach, CA 90802
Press Release # 081823-2
8/18/2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Long Beach, CA – As the City of Long Beach prepares for a significant weather system resulting from Hurricane Hilary, which is expected to bring significant rain and wind throughout Long Beach, the Homeless Services Bureau is temporarily increasing shelter services and outreach for people experiencing homelessness.
Beginning Saturday, Aug. 19 at noon, through Monday, Aug. 21, the City’s Multi-Service Center (MSC) will be open during the day and overnight to shelter up to 60 people experiencing homelessness from the harsh weather. People in need of shelter can visit the MSC (1301 W. 12st St.). Additionally, the City is working to temporarily increase capacity at local shelters to offer additional safe places for people to sleep during the storms. An additional 20 beds will be added to the Emergency Shelter at 702 W.
Anaheim St. Beds can be accessed through either the MSC or City Outreach or emergency responders.
Homeless Services staff will continue to coordinate with the Police and Fire Departments to ensure outreach is conducted along the riverbeds over the weekend to engage and educate people about safety concerns and help connect people seeking shelter to safer places to sleep.
More information about how the City of Long Beach is preparing and storm preparedness safety tips for residents and visitors is available at longbeach.gov/LBRain.
Media inquiries may be directed to Jennifer Rice Epstein, Public Affairs Officer, Department of Health and Human Services, at 562.441.3590 or [email protected].
For more information on the City’s efforts to reduce homelessness in Long Beach, people may visit longbeach.gov/homelessness and follow @lbhealthdept and @longbeachcity on social media and follow the hashtag #EveryoneHomeLB.
Long Beach Temporarily Increases Shelter Operations for People Experiencing Homelessness in Anticipation of Local Severe Weather Systems Due to Hurricane Hilary Jennifer Rice Epstein
562.441.3590
[email protected]
Public Affairs Officer
Department of Health and Human Services
Select Language
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For more news, pictures, videos and announcements of what’s happening in Long Beach, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
PRESS RELEASE
City of Long Beach
Public Information Office
411 W. Ocean Blvd,
Long Beach, CA 90802
Press Release # 081423
8/14/2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Long Beach, CA – In an ongoing effort to increase access to clean water and other essentials for people experiencing homelessness, the City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services’ Homeless Services Bureau (HSB) is offering cases of water to local community-based organizations and advocates supporting people experiencing homelessness. Community organizations interested in receiving cases of water are encouraged to submit a water donation request form. “Water is essential to one’s everyday health and wellbeing, especially during the summer,” said Mayor Rex Richardson. “We invite local organizations and advocates to join us in this effort so we can distribute as much water as possible to those who need it most.” Upon submitting the request form and receiving a confirmation email, community-based organizations will be instructed to pick up cases of water on weekdays at the City’s Multi-Service Center (MSC), located at 1301 W. 12st Street, to distribute through their existing outreach and service avenues. Case quantity is subject to the requesting organization’s charitable outreach needs and up to 20 maximum cases at a time. Organizations also interested in receiving other donated items, such as hygiene kits, clothing, and sun and heat protection items, can submit a donation request form.
This mass water bottle distribution effort is geared to offer critical hydration and other essentials to those who need it most during the hot summer months, especially as Long Beach and areas throughout the region continue to experience high heat. Water bottles are also being distributed to people experiencing homelessness seeking services at the MSC and during citywide service outreach by HSB staff, as is standard practice.
Community-based organizations with questions or seeking additional information about this effort may contact [email protected] or 562.570.4636. The City is also conducting targeted outreach to City of Long Beach Seeks to Mass Distribute Water to People Experiencing Homelessness, Donating Water to Local Community Based Organizations to Further Efforts City of Long Beach Joint Information Center
562.570.NEWS
[email protected]
Select Language
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Long Beach-based organizations to notify them of this opportunity.
For more information on the City’s efforts to reduce homelessness in Long Beach, people may visit longbeach.gov/homelessness and follow @lbhealthdept and @longbeachcity on social media and follow the hashtag #EveryoneHomeLB.
For more news, pictures, videos and announcements of what’s happening in Long Beach, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.