LONG BEACH, Calif. (CNS) — Twenty-five people and eight pets have moved into temporary shelter as part of a state initiative to address encampments, Long Beach officials announced Monday.<\/p>\n
State officials on Monday touted the results of an operation last week to clear an encampment in Long Beach through the State Action for Facilitation on Encampments, or SAFE, task force. The initiative targets encampments on state property in California’s largest cities.<\/p>\n
Encampments have now been cleared in Los Angeles, Anaheim, San Francisco, Fresno and San Diego, with more operations planned, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office.<\/p>\n
“There’s nothing humane about letting people languish outdoors without shelter or support. We’ve been leaning in with unprecedented state help — real resources for our cities and counties — to turn this national homelessness crisis around and to get people the care they need,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. “We’re standing with our local partners like Long Beach to move people out of encampments and into a safe, stable place.”<\/p>\n
On Dec. 4, the task force — composed of Caltrans, California Highway Patrol, state housing and health agencies — removed an encampment located on state property located along State Route 91 and I-710 Interchange. To facilitate the clean up, the group worked with local service providers for weeks to provide outreach to inhabitants of the encampment, offering shelter and health care, Newsom’s office stated.<\/p>\n
“Housing stability is a critical first step to address and end homelessness,” Tomiquia Moss, secretary of California business, consumer services and housing agency, said in a statement. “In California, we’re prioritizing meeting people where they are to help provide access to permanent housing and ongoing services.”<\/p>\n
After residents were moved to a nearby state-funded Homekey site that opened Oct. 29, Caltrans crews removed debris and hazardous materials from the area, clearing about 150 tons of debris over three days.<\/p>\n
The Homekey program, launched in 2019, aims to rapidly house people experiencing homelessness. Across three rounds of funding, the program has awarded more than $3.6 billion for 261 housing projects statewide.<\/p>\n
“Every person in Long Beach deserves safety, stability and a real path forward. For too long, our neighbors living along the riverbed have faced dangerous conditions that have been difficult to address because they span multiple jurisdictions,” Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said in a statement.<\/p>\n
“By strengthening our partnership with Gov. Newsom’s SAFE Task Force and Caltrans, we’re finally able to take a coordinated, compassionate approach that connects people with housing, services and long-term support,” Richardson added.<\/p>\n
The SAFE initiative is similar to programs such as Inside Safe and Pathway Home, initiatives led by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and L.A. County Board of Supervisors, respectively.<\/p>\n
Critics argue such programs often move unhoused individuals from one site to another without long-term results, and that participants may spend extended periods in temporary housing before obtaining permanent homes. They also question the cost of temporary placements.<\/p>\n
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