Long Beach announces additional homeless shelter beds for the winter

An exterior view of the Long Beach Rescue Mission Thrift Store on June 12, 2023. (Richard H. Grant | Signal Tribune)

In preparation for dipping temperatures and rainy weather, Long Beach is opening up its 2025 winter shelter on Jan. 1, along with 60 overnight cots at the Multi-Service Center (MSC) for people experiencing homelessness. 

With the addition of the overnight cots, Long Beach will be providing roughly 490 shelter beds this winter. According to the 2024 Point in Time Count, there were 3,376 people identified experiencing homelessness in Long Beach around this time last year. Roughly 72% of those people had no car or any type of shelter. 

Living on the street or in a structure not fit for human habitation makes people extremely vulnerable to adverse weather like cold, rain or wind, creating a higher risk of hypothermia, frostbite, carbon monoxide poisoning, heart attacks from overexertion, and other sickness, the Long Beach Health Department said in a public statement. 

An exterior view of the Long Beach Rescue Mission Thrift Store on June 12, 2023. (Richard H. Grant | Signal Tribune)

Winter Shelter

The city’s winter shelter will be located at 702 W. Anaheim St., which is currently operating as the city’s emergency shelter. The Anaheim Street shelter will expand its nightly occupancy from 85 people to 125 people from Jan. 1 to March 31, 2025. 

The winter shelter will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and will be serviced by nonprofit First to Serve Outreach Ministries and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA). In order to obtain a spot at the winter shelter, people need a referral from the MSC or a Mobile Access Center. The MSC is located at 1301 W. 12th St. and open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and closed daily from noon to 1 p.m.

The winter shelter includes onsite showers and restrooms as well as an enclosed outdoor area and space for service animals and pets. People at the shelter will receive three meals a day and will have access to services such as housing-focused case management, screening for housing programs, referrals to year-round shelter programs, assistance obtaining identification and documents and connections to behavioral health resources. 

“The winter shelter is a key component in our strategy to support people experiencing homelessness,” said First District Councilwoman Mary Zendejas in a public statement. “By expanding operations, we are not only providing our neighbors who are unhoused a safe and warm place during the winter months but also access to critical resources and services that can help them on their journey toward stable housing.”

An aerial view of the Long Beach Multi-Service center on Feb. 6, 2023. (Richard H. Grant | Signal Tribune)

Inclement Weather Center

The MSC will provide an additional 60 beds during times of “extreme weather conditions.” 

The conditions needed for shelter to open up at the MSC must include one of the following: 

  • Forecasted temperatures of 45° F or lower
  • A flood watch or warning has been issued by the National Weather Service
  • Weather forecasts predict rain that exceeds light showers

People in the inclement weather center will receive a cot and blanket, access to restrooms and hygiene supplies, a hot dinner and small breakfast, support from City staff and security services, and linkages to supportive services via the MSC. 

Those taking shelter in the MSC will be required to leave the facility in the morning before 8 a.m. and may reenter when standard MSC operations commence for connections to supportive services, after 4 p.m. 

When the inclement weather center opens, the City’s Homeless Services Bureau staff, including general outreach, REACH teams and the Mobile Access Centers, will mobilize to notify people experiencing unsheltered homelessness of the shelter opportunity. City staff will also utilize the Homelessness Text Alert Program and the City’s social media to provide information on how to access shelter.

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