Amidst the sporadic rains and cold weather, the City of Long Beach announced it will extend operations of the homeless winter shelter at the former Community Hospital building through the end of April.
The shelter opened in late December, offering 81 beds and shelter from the cold weather to people in the city experiencing homelessness. The winter shelter was expected to close at the end of March, but will operate through April 30 “to ensure the safety and wellbeing of people experiencing homelessness during the ongoing cold, wet winter weather,” according to a statement from the City.
Since opening, the shelter has reached full capacity every night, according to the City.
“With the unprecedented amount of rain and extremely cold temperatures, people experiencing homelessness have endured unusually harsh elements this winter,” said Mayor Rex Richardson in a statement from the City. “The extension of our winter shelter will continue to provide a warm place for people to rest with safety and dignity. This is a much-needed asset for these community members, and I am grateful for the support we’ve received for this extension.”
There are 796 beds provided year-round by the City and partnering organizations, according to a statement released by the City Dec. 19. Long Beach had 3,296 people experiencing homelessness in the city during its 2022 Point in Time Count.
Long Beach had planned to open a second winter shelter location inside the gymnasium at Silverado Park, but canceled the plans after weeks of community protest. The city is still searching for a location for an additional shelter “with at least as many beds” as the winter shelter so it can “continue to provide these services after April 30.”
The city opened up 60 additional beds at the Multi-Service Center (MSC) in west Long Beach in late February. Staff puts the beds out every night at 6 p.m. and stores them away the following morning at 8 a.m. to resume services. The beds are available “typically when there is forecasted rain” or temperatures below 45 degrees and serve between 40-50 people each night, according to the city.
The winter shelter and MSC both provide meals to its residents and attempts to connect people to case management services.
There was a community meeting on March 9 with City staff and Third District Councilmember Kristina Duggan, whose district the winter shelter resides in. City officials discussed plans to extend operations at the shelter and answered questions from the community, the City said in a statement.
“The winter shelter is a critical resource for people experiencing homelessness,” Duggan said in a statement from the City. “Many people have utilized this shelter so far this year—some who have been there nightly since December. I am pleased it will continue operations through April so even more people can rest comfortably at night.”
The winter shelter is only accessible through the Winter Shelter Bus, which picks up residents at the MSC in the early evening and drops them back off at the MSC in the morning.
First to Serve Outreach Ministries and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority is in charge of the daily operations, while the building is owned and leased to the city by Molina Wu Network, Community Hospital LLC.
For more information about the winter shelter, residents can call the Multi-Service Center at 562.570.4500 or review the FAQs. For more information on the City’s efforts to reduce homelessness in Long Beach, people may visit the city’s new data page at longbeach.gov/homelessness.
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