What are tiny homes, why does Long Beach want them and where will they be?
Residents can learn the answers to all these questions and more at a virtual meeting hosted by the City of Long Beach on Monday, Oct. 30.
Long Beach began discussions around tiny homes, or “modular shelter units” which provide privacy and basic amenities to homeless residents while they search for more permanent housing, in January 2022.
In February 2023, the City Council voted to create roughly 30 units at the Multi-Service Center, since residents can connect to services more easily. This plan has since been scrapped, and the City is still exploring possible locations.
The homes will be federally funded by California’s Housing and Community Development (HCD) as part of Project Homekey’s second round of funding. Cities were given a total of $1.45 billion in grants over the last two years to rapidly develop various housing types for people experiencing homelessness.
Long Beach received $5.6 million in grants for the tiny homes, almost half of which will go towards designing and building the 30-35 units. The shelters will each have their own bathroom, shower and fire suppression systems and will come with three meals a day for residents.
At the virtual meeting, residents can learn about the proposed operations and criteria needed for the locations of tiny homes. City staff will also talk about the benefits of the tiny homes and give updates on the local emergency declared on homelessness in Long Beach.
Interpretation services will be available in Spanish, Khmer and Tagalog with additional languages available upon advanced request.
Residents must register in advance for the Oct. 30 meeting on Zoom from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
1 comment
Comments are closed.