This haunted house had “you” on the menu.
During the Halloween season, volunteers and staff at the local nonprofit CityHeART host a haunted house for community members to enjoy at its annual Fall Festival at the Century Villages at Cabrillo. This year’s haunted house showcased the creativity and community that the nonprofit “cooks up” in Long Beach.
CityHeART is an art-based nonprofit dedicated to supporting veterans, seniors, and families experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity through its blend of supplemental case management, care coordination, storytelling, and community art, according to its website.
The nonprofit’s mission is rooted in empathy, compassion, dignity and creativity, and connects people to vital resources while fostering healing and empowerment through art and storytelling.
CityHeART helps people get resources year-round, including transportation, food, and clothing. Volunteers help people navigate the housing journey and even help get access to substance abuse and mental health treatment.
Many of these services are provided at the “Resource Hub,” inside the Century Villages at Cabrillo in West Long Beach. At the hub, the organization says, neighbors come for essentials and stay for community.
A group of kids make their way into CityHeART’s haunted house on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Kids and their families waited in line to enter CityHeART’s haunted house on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
CityHeART hosted its annual haunted house for the Century Village at Cabrillo’s Fall Festival on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
As guests waited to go through CityHeART’s haunted house, they watched a performance by a band of talented volunteers. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
As guests waited to go through CityHeART’s haunted house, they watched a performance by a band of talented volunteers. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
CityHeART volunteers spook guests in their restaurant themed haunted house on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
(L-R) Twelve-year-old Raylynn Torres, 9-year-old Beto Pulsiano, and 10-year-old Raymond Torres made their way through CityHeART’s haunted house on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. “It was scary,” Raylynn said after making it out. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
An angry and bloody head chef getting ready to cook his next meal inside CityHeART’s haunted house on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Volunteers inside of CityHeART’s haunted house jumped out of refrigerators to scare guests walking through on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
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A group of kids make their way into CityHeART’s haunted house on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
For the past four years, the team at CityHeART has turned its Resource Hub into a “Haunted Hub” to bring some scary fun to the Century Villages at Cabrillo’s Fall Festival, said Executive Director Paige Pelonis.
The “Haunted Hub” brought laughter and screams to the festival on Tuesday, Oct. 28.
“This year, we have been talking about it for a very long time and have been planning it for much longer than we probably planned to,” Pelonis said ahead of the festival, “but we’re really excited about it. It’s definitely going to be the best one so far.”
The building that many veterans, families, and community members are used to picking up their weekly groceries was turned into something they didn’t recognize — a haunted restaurant.
Guests were welcomed by a spooky house band playing music as they waited “forever” to be seated. The servers — played by volunteers — walked people through the back of the house, where they saw the head chef preparing a scary meal featuring prop human arms and other frightening accoutrements.
The concept for this year’s theme of a haunted restaurant came from an idea from John Arcos, a board member and longtime volunteer of the nonprofit, Pelonis said.
During the summer, CityHeart received a food recovery grant from the city that supported renovations to their kitchen, where they prepare to serve hundreds of meals weekly. After replacing their outdated stove, Arcos had the idea to save it and use it as a prop for this year’s haunted house.
While the CityHeART team had a fun and exciting time honing their Halloween skills and bringing the spooky spirit to the annual haunted house, their work continues in supporting those in the Long Beach community.
Like many nonprofits at the moment, CityHeART has faced a season of overwhelming need, rising costs, and fewer resources, organizers said. While they’ve never stopped showing up for others, they continue to need support to keep ensuring that neighbors are seen, heard, and connected.
Long Beach community members can help by donating to ourcityheart.org, which helps keep shelves stocked with food, hygiene, essential supplies, and more. People can also volunteer or share the nonprofit’s mission with others, organizers said.