After public outcry, Long Beach cancels plans for winter shelter at Silverado Park

An aerial view of the playground and gym at Silverado Park which recently had a gate erected around it for a planned winter shelter for people experiencing homelessness on Feb. 14, 2023. The city canceled plans for the shelter on Feb. 28 following public protest. (Richard H. Grant | Signal Tribune)

In response to pressure from the community, Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson announced on Tuesday that the City has abandoned its plans to turn the Silverado Park gymnasium into a temporary homeless shelter.

Richardson said that he will be meeting with community leaders throughout the week to come up with other solutions to assist people experiencing homelessness. 

During the last city-wide count of unhoused people in Feb. 2022, a total of 3,296 individuals were found to be without a home. 

The current winter shelter at the Community Hospital site can house a total of 84 individuals, around 2.5% of Long Beach’s homeless population.

The city planned to provide another 84 beds at the Silverado Park gym to provide a small number of the city’s unhoused population with respite from the cold and wet winter weather.

Dozens of West Long Beach residents criticized the City’s plan to create a winter shelter in Silverado Park. Many stated that the westside of Long Beach already has less park space than the more affluent neighborhoods on the east side of the city, such as the areas near El Dorado Park and Belmont Shore. Residents also pointed out that the Silverado Park gym is used by the John Muir Elementary School basketball team.

Protest signs are taped to the newly erected frencing surrounding the Silverado Park Gym on Feb. 14, 2023. The gym in the park is planned to be used as a winter shelter for people experiencing homelessness despite local opposition. (Richard H. Grant | Signal Tribune)

Residents from the surrounding neighborhood expressed frustration that the City didn’t gather any input from the community before deciding to use Silverado Park for the shelter.

“We’ve heard concerns from the community, and we thank them for their feedback,” Richardson said. “We know that Silverado Park isn’t going to be the best solution for a temporary shelter and we will not be moving forward with it.”

Sixty beds have been set up at the Long Beach Multi-Service Center, a site that helps connect unhoused people to available aid and resources. Richardson said that this is an untenable solution, as staff has to set up the beds each night and put them away each morning in order for the Multi-Service Center to provide its usual services.

Richardson said the City would be unable to effectively tackle the homelessness problem without the help of the community.

“Right now, we want to make sure our residents who are sleeping in tents and cars, and sometimes without anything, not even a blanket, on sidewalks or tucked behind bushes, have a solution and that we can lead with compassion,” Richardson said.

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