Homeless individuals in Long Beach will be able to find temporary respite in “tiny homes” that are soon to be developed at Long Beach’s Multi-Service Center (MSC).
City Council approved a $2.3 million contract with Los Angeles Company Connect Homes to create 30-35 “modular shelter units” that will be built in the MSC’s parking lot within the next year. The tiny homes will contain bathrooms, showers, fire suppression systems and will come with three meals per day for residents.
Funding for the tiny homes is coming from California’s Housing and Community Development (HCD) as part of Project Homekey’s second round of funds. Cities were given a total of $1.45 billion in grants over the last two years to rapidly develop various housing types for people experiencing homelessness.
Long Beach received $5.6 million in grants for the tiny homes, almost half of which will go towards designing and building the units. Money left over will be used to continue operations, which is estimated to cost about $930,000 annually.
The units are not meant to act as permanent housing, and individuals living in the homes will be connected to caseworkers who will assist in placing them into more permanent housing. Each unit has a lifespan of about 50 years and can be moved if necessary, according to Homeless Services Bureau Manager Paul Duncan.
A small group of residents criticized the tiny homes, referring to them as sheds that are bound to get overheated during summer months when temperatures can exceed 100 degrees.
“These sheds are not going to concur to any development,” said Alexandria Immanuel, District 1 resident. “We need development; we need case workers; we need some long-term resolutions.”
A different tiny home developer used public comment time to make a pitch to the city council for his company California Backyard Homes. He asked the mayor and councilmembers to table the item for a month so he could return with a proper proposal.
“This is not a good deal for the citizens and people in Long Beach. We make these very cheap homes that are actual homes, not sheds,” Frank Sanford said. “We can get it done by May or June. This proposal is saying they’ll get it done by the end of the year.”
Kelly Colopy, director of Health and Human Services, clarified that “they are not sheds, they are tiny homes.” She said that a request for proposals (RFP) was sent out in October 2022 and a committee chose “the most qualified” company.
