City of Long Beach Establishes New Office of Homeless Strategy and Partnerships

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PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA - The City of Long Beach has established the Office of Homeless Strategy and Partnerships (Office), a new office that will further the City's efforts to reduce homelessness in Long Beach through strategic planning and implementation of key initiatives and building partnerships with external agencies, service providers and community stakeholders.

"Over the last year and a half, we've made significant strides to address homelessness here in Long Beach and, while we are proud of what we've accomplished, we know there is more work to be done and more people to help," said Mayor Rex Richardson. "The establishment of our new Office of Homeless Strategy and Partnerships will focus on the importance of interdepartmental and community collaboration to ensure a strategic, thoughtful and well-rounded approach to addressing homelessness over the next five years."

The Office, located within the Office of the City Manager, is comprised of a dedicated team of one manager and two program specialists who will partner closely with City departments such as the Health Department's Homeless Services Bureau to complement and uplift their frontline work, direct services and governance structures addressing homelessness. The Office will convene and coordinate an interdepartmental structure focused on streamlining homelessness response, expanding and improving the City's homeless services system and increasing housing affordability, and will facilitate urgent Citywide projects and build connections with community partners and external agencies. Similar to other City Manager offices such as the Office of Equity and Recovery Office, shifting responsibilities to the City Manager's Office will promote stronger collaboration between departments and centralized coordination with a collective impact approach.

"One integral lesson we learned during our emergency proclamation was the power of bringing people across departments together - people whose expertise is outside of homelessness but who can bring fresh, creative new ideas to the table," said Deputy City Manager Teresa Chandler, who oversees the Office of Homeless Strategy and Partnerships. "Our Office of Homeless Strategy and Partnerships will continue this approach while uplifting the critical frontline work of our Homeless Services Bureau staff."

The Office, in partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department), is currently leading the development of the City's Homeless Strategic Plan Update, a five-year strategic plan that will continue the City's efforts to address homelessness and housing insecurity in Long Beach. As part of the Update, the City will host an Open House event on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, from 4 to 6 p.m. The Open House is an opportunity for community collaboration and innovation, and community members are encouraged to attend and share their voice. The open house will take place in the community room of Michelle Obama Library (5870 Atlantic Ave.). Advanced registration is preferred but not required.

The Open House will serve as an opportunity to learn more about the City's Homelessness Strategic Plan Update progress, process and the realities of homelessness in Long Beach. Attendees will have the opportunity to see a summary of the input from numerous listening sessions and community survey conducted thus far as part of the initiative. There will also be space for community members to voice their ideas, concerns and solutions regarding homelessness in Long Beach, as the City strives to create a more inclusive and supportive community for all. The City is dedicated to a transparent and action-oriented approach to homelessness. Community insights and participation at the Open House are vital to ensuring that the strategies used by the City are effective and reflective of Long Beach's diverse community.

In May 2024, the City announced the Homelessness Strategic Plan Update Initiative. The update will be a collaborative, data-driven and community-focused approach to address the complex issue of homelessness in Long Beach, and it will build on the successes of previous City efforts, integrate reasonable data- and community-driven ideas, and innovative strategies to provide more effective solutions.

The final plan is expected to be released in January 2025.

For more information on the City's efforts to reduce homelessness in Long Beach, people may visit longbeach.gov/homelessness and follow @lbhealthdept and @longbeachcity on social media and follow the hashtag #EveryoneHomeLB.

About the City of Long Beach
Long Beach is nestled along the Southern California coast and home to approximately 466,000 people. As an award-winning full-service charter city, Long Beach offers the amenities of a metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods, culture and community. With a bustling downtown and over six miles of scenic beaches, Long Beach is a renowned tourist and business destination and home to the iconic Queen Mary, nationally recognized Aquarium of the Pacific and Long Beach Airport, award-winning Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center and world-class Port of Long Beach.

For more information about the City of Long Beach, visit longbeach.gov/. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news: Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.

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