Staff Writer
This winter weather hasn’t been kind to anyone out in the rain, but for the homeless, it can be particularly brutal. Long Beach First District Councilmember Lena Gonzalez and hundreds of volunteers from the area ventured outside starting in the early hours of the morning to meet those who live on the streets during the Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count on Jan. 26. She described it as an “eye-opening experience.”
The count, which is scheduled every year, is coordinated by the Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority (LAHSA) to determine who are in need of shelter. It also gives volunteers like the councilmember an opportunity to meet the homeless population and put a name to a face.
“People from all over the city [!]sometimes have pre-judgments on what the face of homelessness looks like,” Gonzalez said in a phone interview.
The 1st-district councilmember said that while this wasn’t the first time that she participated in the homeless count, this particular day stood out for her. This time, she observed a lot of younger people. She met one man who was living in his car. He was too embarrassed to admit at first that he was homeless.
He stood out for Gonzalez because he was a member of the working poor. He had a job, but for whatever reason, he wasn’t in a home. The councilmember said she spoke to about 31 people that Thursday.
Gonzalez said that the volunteers who joined her on the count also had a change of heart about what they understood of the problem of homelessness.
“Some of them [!] had complained a lot in the past,” Gonzalez said of a number of them, explaining that after the count, many had changed their minds. She added that she wished “everyone could participate on that level.”
The City of Long Beach announced last month that a new winter homeless shelter has opened in Long Beach. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) is the administrator of the shelter and had chosen First to Serve Outreach Ministries to serve as its operator. While it is only open from 5pm to 7am on a daily basis through March 1, the shelter can remain open 24 hours in the event of inclement weather, including those times when the city experiences floods like the ones earlier this month.
City of Long Beach Human Services Bureau Manager Teresa Chandler acknowledged that the new winter shelter in Long Beach is not yet at full capacity. While that particular shelter can serve up to about 154 individuals per night, the shelter has been averaging about 125 to 135 people who stay in their facilities. To gain entry to that particular shelter, individuals must arrive at one of the designated pickup stops throughout the city at a designated time. Clients cannot just arrive at the shelter directly.
There are other emergency shelters that do operate within the city, and many of them operate in partnership with the City of Long Beach. There are other shelters that operate year round.
Chandler explained that there are multi-disciplinary teams that do regularly go out to the streets to find individuals who may be in need of services. Sometimes it takes a steady point of contact for them to convince individuals on the streets to get help. She noted that it sometimes can take up to two years to build trust with a person on the streets needing assistance, but once they agree, there are plenty of resources available.
There is a multi-service center that the City operates. It offers a “continuum of care” to individuals who need resources for housing assistance in addition to a host of other social programs. Chandler explained that there are 11 agencies that are co- located at the center. Once an individual walks through their doors, a case manager will be assigned to him or her.
Chandler said that these individuals who seek help are getting assistance tailor-made for them.
“Everyone has a story, and everyone’s story is unique,” Chandler concluded. “And everyone’s need is very unique.”
Chandler said that there are a lot of resources that can address the individual needs, but she was also looking at how to address the community needs in its entirety. She said it was their ultimate goal to “virtually to bring an end to homelessness here in Long Beach.”
