The 11-person board will receive monthly stipends and provide insight on Long Beach’s homeless services.
Long Beach is looking for residents who have or are currently experiencing homelessness to help inform the city on its services and programs.
The Lived Experience Advisory Board is accepting applications from people who have first-hand experiences with homelessness in Long Beach. Applications will remain open until the 11 spots are filled.
Long Beach has established homelessness committees in the past, but never an official board, Chelsey Magallon, media relations for the Joint Information Center told the Signal Tribune.
Committee members will receive a monthly salary stipend, a transportation stipend as well as a childcare stipend if necessary.
The salary stipend will be $125 per month, the transportation stipend is set at $10 per in-person meeting and the childcare stipend will be $15 for every hour needed, Homeless Services Administrative Coordinator Alexa Dixson-Griggs told the Signal Tribune.
“I don’t want them to have to prove any homeless experience, it’s going to be a ‘trust your neighbor’ [process].”
Homeless Services Administrative Coordinator Alexa Dixson-Griggs
In an email to the Signal Tribune, Magallon said the City is budgeting $413,000 for the Lived Experiences Advisory Board for the next three years. That funding will provide the stipends for the 11 board members as well as a Participant Coordinator position.
Dixson-Griggs said members will be asked to meet up for two hours a month, though there will be additional work away from the board. She said the City is hoping to hire a board that’s diverse in race, age, veteran status, sexual orientation and different experiences of homelessness.
“In order to ensure we’re meeting the multi-faceted needs of people experiencing homelessness here in Long Beach, we must center first-hand experiences and perspectives,” said Director of Health and Human Services Kelly Colopy in a statement from the City.
Committee members will provide insight into the development and proposal of policies for the Long Beach Homeless Services Bureau and the Long Beach Continuum of Care (CoC). They will also provide feedback on reports requested by the City and review proposed policies and procedures before they are sent to the CoC board.
The Lived Experiences Advisory Board will report to the CoC board, where a liaison from Long Beach’s Homeless Services Advisory Committee will receive the information.
The application process will include interviews conducted by City staff, with the spirit of trust embodied throughout the process, Dixson-Griggs said.
“I don’t want them to have to prove any homeless experience, it’s going to be a ‘trust your neighbor’ [process],” Dixson-Griggs said, adding that the City wants to board to have a “low-barrier” entry.
Residents can apply through an online form on the Volunteer, Donate and Get Involved tab on longbeach.gov/homelessness. Residents can complete an interest form at the Multi-Service Center (1301 W. 12th St.), at the Mobile Access Center or through a city-contracted service provider.
The Lived Experience Advisory Board was approved by the CoC Board on July 11 and is funded through California’s Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention program. The City is receiving over $13 million from state funding as part of a five-year grant program.
Questions about the Lived Experience Advisory Board may be directed to the City’s Homeless Services Bureau staff at HomelessServicesAdmin@longbeach.gov.
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My interest in helping inform outreach and help everyone individually and fairly
I’d love the opportunity to be employed for this change !