Long Beach considers partnering with LBCC for Tiny Homes project

Long Beach City College file photo. (Richard H. Grant | Signal Tribune)

Long Beach officials have decided to focus its anticipated Tiny Homes project to specifically aid students experiencing homelessness, the City announced Monday. 

The City is discussing the project with Long Beach City College, though it is still in its early stages and the location for the Tiny Homes remains undecided. Tiny Homes are single-occupant modular units that are roughly 100 square feet and contain a bed, bathroom with a shower, lighting, electrical outlets, a fire suppression system as well as air conditioning and heating. 

The Tiny Home units will include both standard and ADA-accessible options, and any host the City chooses to partner with must ensure that they have proper amenities such as utilities, supervision and can host supportive services. 

“We are having meaningful conversations with our partners at LBCC, to see how collectively we can provide some housing security for students experiencing homelessness, so that they can better focus on their education and career paths. In the long run, this helps support our entire community,” said Mayor Rex Richardson in a public statement. 

An example of tiny home units in a Los Angeles neighborhood. (Courtesy of The Hope Mission)

Funding for this effort comes from the Homekey Program Round 2 Grant, which was awarded to the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services by the California Department of Housing and Community Development in August 2022.

The Long Beach City Council and Long Beach City College Board of Trustees will discuss this possible collaboration at its future meetings, and agendas will be published ahead of time. 

Long Beach was considering putting its Tiny Homes project at the corner of California Avenue and E Springs Street adjacent to Willow Springs Park, but pulled out of that location due to “high costs related to installing utilities,” according to a statement from the City. Costs related to clean up at the site were another issue. 

An aerial view of the industrial area north of Willow Springs Park on Sept. 28, 2021. (Richard H. Grant | Signal Tribune)

Long Beach is dedicating 46.24 acres (Parcel A) of Willow Springs Park as park space in perpetuity. The City is proposing a $1 million transformative project called the Willow Springs Trailhead Project to revitalize the park space, but the budget is not yet approved.

Long Beach is considering another 1.8 acres (Parcel B) in the northwest corner of the park to be used as park space if the City is able to establish a land bank, which means it will be protected use under the City Charter. 

“It was important that we explored the different possible uses for Parcel B in support of our community,” said Fifth District Councilwoman Megan Kerr in a public statement. “As the Tiny Homes project takes a new direction, I am excited at the prospect of Willow Springs Park’s long-awaited dedication as official park space in perpetuity, as well as the potential for some well-deserved upgrades that the entire community can enjoy.”

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