I’m a little tied up today at a thing called The Good Work Conference.
But, lest you think I’ve forgotten, let me say Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers, grandmothers and wannabe mothers out there. I’ve been blessed by close association with some great moms, starting with my own (yes, I had a mother despite rumors to the contrary). It’s my honor and privilege to be married to the top professional grandmother in the world, the lovely Maria.
We should celebrate mothers every day of the year – we wouldn’t be here without them! But I’m glad we have a day set aside. Don’t forget the flowers.
Now back to our program.
The Long Beach Church Collective has spent the last few months putting The Good Work Conference together. They tell me it’s a leadership conference focusing on The Good Work that God calls us to do – serving the vulnerable, loving our neighbors, seeking justice – things like that.
I actually took a vacation day to be here. The list of speakers is impressive – prominent pastors from many of the area’s leading churches, and some super-thoughtful nonprofit leaders and counselors.
For some reason, they asked me to present a workshop too. I’ll be talking about how Long Beach has helped (or not helped) our homeless residents over the last 30 or 40 years – something I’ve been writing about and advocating around for pretty much that entire time.
I’m a firm believer in using all research as many times as possible, so this seems like an opportunity to talk about how we as a community take care of the folks so far down on their luck that they don’t have a roof over their heads. With the city’s Multi-Service Center operating out of tents at the moment, the timing is right, too.
Contrary to what might seem to be the case today, homelessness didn’t just become a problem recently. There are stories of poor, homeless wanderers in the Bible. “Sleeping rough” is referenced in early, early American literature. Hobo camps, particularly in the 1930s, were the precursor to today’s encampments.
Regarding Long Beach, I’m only qualified to talk about what I’ve seen in the 34 years I’ve lived here. Of course there were efforts to help the indigent before then – the Salvation Army arrived in Long Beach in 1906, there were plenty of churches dispensing aid and the Long Beach Rescue Mission opened in 1972.
I did finally find an official response from the city government in 1987, when a Task Force on Homelessness was formed. There were some collaborations with nonprofits and churches, but the communication and coordination were limited.
In the early 1990s, around the time I rolled into town (which had absolutely nothing to do with it), the Long Beach Homeless Coalition was founded by people representing the nonprofit and faith sectors providing aid and services to the homeless. The idea was to avoid too much duplication and provide the maximum possible help.
1997 was a milestone when the Century Villages at Cabrillo opened. Part of a tract of Naval housing was converted into housing for formerly homeless military Veterans, along with ways for them to receive services. The Villages have grown over the last 30 years, and now serves women and families as well.
I still remember the day in 1999 when the Multi-Service Center opened. It was plopped down in West Long Beach, in the middle of an industrial neighborhood and port-related businesses. But it was cutting edge – a place homeless people could find help that included temporary shelter, a shower, references for health care and more. And there was space for nonprofits like Goodwill, the Red Cross and others to offer their services as well.
The 2000s saw a continued push for coordinated systems of care and a street outreach network involving multiple city departments. This also was the beginning of the “Housing First” approach to solving the homelessness crisis – get people inside shelter first, then worry about providing longer-term services like addiction recovery, job training, etc.
Washington D.C. had begun increasing funding to help cities deal with homelessness, primarily through something called Block Grants. The feds’ idea of measuring success consisted primarily of something called the Point In Time count, where cities and counties literally counted the number of people experiencing homelessness on a day (or two) in January.
I used those numbers, just like every other news outlet in the country, to report success or failure. I question now just how accurate that barometer was. But the spike in numbers after the COVID pandemic prompted the city to declare a “local emergency on homelessness” in January 2023, triggering a series of contracts with and purchases of hotels for temporary housing, more rapid response to issues on the street, etc.
More recently, a conservative-dominated Supreme Court threw out a previous ruling that there had to be shelter beds before municipalities could enforce no-camping laws, and encampments became targets for removal. And the push me-pull you battle of churches and nonprofits versus people believing homeless people constitute a public safety problem continues.
I have hope that today’s Good Work Conference will help Long Beach in many ways, including some clarity on homelessness and other social problems. Faith can do wonders. I am a hopeful skeptic, if there is such a thing.
Pray for us, won’t you?