Long Beach begins efforts in addressing homeless encampments along LA river – Press Telegram

Long Beach is continuing its efforts to address homelessness and encampments along its stretch of the Los Angeles River.

The City Council this week unanimously approved an agreement with the Colonial Motel in Central Long Beach to temporarily house people who are homeless along the riverbed. The city will also provide wraparound services and case management, and connect people to permanent housing, city officials said.

The agreement at the two-story, 57-room motel, 802 E. Pacific Coast Highway, will be for a period of one year, with two one-year options to extend, in an amount not to exceed $1.8 million annually, according to the staff report.

Last year, the city received $11 million for the Encampment Resolution Fund grant from the California Department of Housing and Community Development. The state grant supports actionable, person-centered local initiatives aimed at resolving unsheltered homelessness for individuals residing in encampments.

The purpose of that money is to increase the wellness and safety of homeless people in encampments, support innovative and replicable efforts to resolve critical encampment concerns, help individuals access safe and stable housing, and encourage a data-informed, coordinated approach to address unsheltered homelessness at encampments, according to the staff report for the Tuesday, March 17, council meeting.

This is the third time Long Beach has received this state grant, officials said.

Previously, the city used the money to address encampments in the downtown area and at MacArthur Park. During the last round of grant funding, Long Beach operated out of the Vagabond Inn – with 94 participants served and 18 securing permanent housing before the program came to an end. Since closure, continued case management has resulted in eight additional people being housed, officials said.

To continue efforts of the program, a site search was conducted by the Economic Development and Opportunity, and Health and Human Services Departments to locate a suitable site. The Colonial Motel was identified through a number of means, such as community engagement and the city’s past history of using motel vouchers there for more than 20 years, said Homeless Services Bureau Manager Paul Duncan.

The site has also been used since 2024 by Los Angeles County for the Pathway Home Program, a housing-focused strategy to provide temporary housing to people living in encampments. The county’s contract for the program ended earlier this month, according to the staff report.

Public outreach was conducted through a community meeting in the fall and an informational flyer was issued by email to neighboring residents at the beginning of the month, city officials said. The Encampment Resolution Funding Program was originally proposed for a different location – down the street at the Motel 6 – but after community pushback, city staffers identified Colonial Motel, in Council District 6, as an alternative site.

The occupancy agreement includes terms and provisions, such as the landlord not renting or allowing occupancy of any rooms or facilities during the term. The initial term will be for one year, which started on Tuesday. The rent will be $85 per room, per day, for a total of about $1.8 million annually, said Real Estate Development Bureau Manager Mary Torres.

The landlord will maintain the premises and all common areas of the property, as well as buildings and building systems. As part of operating expenses, the landlord will furnish HVAC, utilities, trash disposal, pest control, water service, electricity, and all housekeeping and janitorial services. The city will be responsible for collecting all soiled linens for laundering services and restocking rooms with fresh linens, Torres said.

The City Council approved the agreement with a 7-0 vote on Tuesday.

The city, Councilmember Tunua Thrash-Ntuk said, needs to continue ensuring interim housing is distributed equally throughout the city.

“Moving forward, I know that it will be really important that we consider where we might site such activities, so that it’s more equitable and has a more citywide approach,” Thrash-Ntuk said, “and look at an opportunity to add supportive housing in areas that have little or no concentration of these services to date.”

Long Beach has increased its capacity of beds with city-run shelters and those provided by partner organizations. The city now has a shelter in every council district, though some have more beds than others, Duncan said.

“Homelessness continues to impact many neighborhoods across Long Beach,” Councilmember Suely Saro said in a statement, “especially District 6.”

“The Colonial Motel emerged as a viable option given its existing use for encampment resolution efforts under Los Angeles County,” Saro said. “With the county’s contract ending, this agreement allows the city to continue utilizing the site to connect individuals experiencing homelessness with shelter services and pathways toward permanent housing.

Importantly, this program will also include an allotted number of beds reserved specifically for District 6 residents experiencing homelessness,” the Sixth District council member said. “This ensures that the community will also benefit directly from the services and housing pathways created through this program.”