Long Beach is looking into ways to protect one of its most vulnerable communities from abuse: seniors. City staff will explore the possibility of creating a senior safe home in Long Beach to protect those ages 60 and older who may be suffering from elder abuse.
According to a 2022 study by the World Health Organization, one in six seniors will have experienced some form of abuse in the past year. This abuse can range from financial, emotional, physical, sexual or psychological and the same data shows it can lead to early death.
“Seniors are such an important part of our community and we already know how many seniors are facing abuse. [Last year] in Long Beach alone it was about 800,” said Vice Mayor Cindy Allen, who brought forward the item with councilmember Mary Zendejas. “This abuse causes seniors to go into homelessness, they have early death, they have physical and psychological health issues and financial loss … It’s just hard to believe. All I can say is we’re failing our seniors and we have to do better for them. It’s not only necessary but it should be an absolute priority.”
City Council unanimously approved the recommendation, and city staff will return within 90 days on the estimated financial costs of creating a senior safe home along with a list of government-owned buildings where it could be established.
In 2021, Los Angeles Adult Protective Services (APS) recorded almost 29,000 cases of elder abuse and ten percent of those victims were in danger of losing their homes. The county has a lack of resources to combat the issue, as the 2018 Long Beach Age-Friendly Community Gap Analysis showed that for every 200 cases of reported elder abuse, there was only one APS worker available.
Karen Reside, president of the Long Beach Gray Panthers, a nonprofit that educates and advocates for older adults in Long Beach, told her own story of experiencing elder abuse at the hands of her ex-boyfriend. Reside was locked out of their shared apartment past midnight and didn’t know what to do or where to go.
“I had nowhere to go. I want no other seniors to go through what I had to go through. I had to spend the night walking around the city trying to find a safe place,” Reside said. “A facility like this would provide resources for someone like myself. Luckily I was on a waiting list and I was only homeless for three months. Not everyone is so fortunate.”
Seniors make up about 12% of Long Beach’s population, according to the U.S. Census, though they accounted for about 30% of the homeless population in the 2022 Point in Time Count. The proposed senior safe home will have 15 units for people, where they can receive case management and free meals for up to 90 days while they try to find somewhere permanent to stay.
Currently there is only one senior safe home west of the Mississippi. The safe home is in Sacramento and has only six bedrooms with a maximum stay of 30 days. The proposed center in Long Beach would more than double the amount of safe homes for seniors in California.
“As a city we have to make sure our most vulnerable are protected at all times,” councilmember Zendejas said. “As a city we need to step up and provide more care for Long Beach seniors. I think we can all agree that it’s heartbreaking seeing seniors neglected and abused and feeling stuck somewhere, so I hope that it’s the beginning of a really good thing we can bring to the city of Long Beach.”
The City previously had a Elder Abuse Prevention Team that was re-established into the Long Beach Senior Coalition. The coalition was integral in getting the item in front of the City Council, Allen said.
Allen Goldstein, a member of the Long Beach Senior Coalition and a founding member of the Long Beach Gray Panthers, said the facility could be a place that seniors “can walk out that same door no longer a helpless victim, but an empowered survivor.”
“Elder abuse we know is rampant … it’s robbing our seniors of their dignity, wellbeing and sometimes their lives,” Goldstein said. “Elders have endured great harm and deserve a safe home with refuge and a life filled with dignity, purpose and peace.”
City staff will return to the City Council with a report on the feasibility of creating a senior safe home as well as possible locations and outside funding within 90 days.
