While Long Beach announced the smallest increase in its homeless population since 2019, more than half of these people became homeless in 2022, the city announced Thursday morning during the results of the 2023 annual Point-in-Time homeless count.
Hundreds of volunteers surveyed different parts of the city on January 23 and found 3,447 homeless people in Long Beach, a 4.6% increase since 2022 when there were 3,296 homeless people identified.
Of the total number of homeless people in Long Beach, 71% were unsheltered and 29% had shelter. There was a 2% decrease in those who had shelter (including vehicles) and a 6% increase in those without shelter.
“We certainly have a lot of work to do but I’m encouraged by the story the data is telling,” said Mayor Rex Richardson. “We’re really encouraged by the slowing of growth that we’ve seen since the pandemic.”
In 2022, there was a 22% increase in people living in homeless encampments and a 380% increase in people living in their vehicles.
There are 1,827 people experiencing homelessness for the first time in Long Beach, which accounted for 53% of the homeless population. This is an 18% increase from the 1,549 first-time homeless people from 2021 to 2022. Of the homeless people identified, 18% were living in their vehicle.
“What it shows is this, the new group of folks experiencing homelessness are open to accepting services,” Richardson said. “When services are provided they do accept those services and that is very promising.”
Thirty nine percent of the people identified during the Point-in-Time count are chronically homeless, which means they have been homeless for at least a year and are struggling with serious mental health issues, substance abuse or a physical disability. Just 19% of people said they have been homeless for less than a year.
According to city data, 35% of people became homeless due to financial hardship, 27% said it was due to “family disruption” and 16% said they became homeless after being evicted.
Nearly one in five people experiencing homelessness in Long Beach are former foster youth, more than 15% suffered child abuse and more than 60% reported being neglected as a child, according to Director of Health and Human Services Kelly Colopy. Those who recently became homeless are six times more likely to be victims of domestic violence than those who are chronically homeless, Colopy said.
The new homeless population is more likely to identify as female or non-binary and more likely to be Black or Latinx. There is a 45% increase in older adults (55 years and older) experiencing homelessness, accounting for more than 1,300 people. More than 200 people under 24 years old are homeless in Long Beach.
There’s also a 2.5% increase in students who are homeless and a 20% decrease in veterans experiencing homelessness. 11.2% of the homeless population identified as LGBTQ.
There are currently 1,300 beds in shelters in the city for those who are homeless, according to Colopy. A shelter providing an additional 85 beds at the former Long Beach Rescue Mission Thrift Store will be opening this weekend.
The Luxury Inn in North Long Beach is expected to open as a homeless shelter and provide 78 beds by the end of the year, Richardson said.
This article was updated on April 28 to change “gender-binary” to “non-binary.”
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