By Rachel Lampert
Long Beach, California has seen a major decrease in homelessness. is an ongoing change for the city and here’s what we know so far. This drop in unhoused individuals came about in a total of 2.1%. Currently, there are 3,376 people recognized as those who are experiencing homelessness. Whereas in 2023 it was approximately 3,447 people prior. An article from the LAist’s writer — Leslie Bernstein Rojas says. “The newly released Long Beach count shows a drop in younger and older unhoused populations, including a 49% drop for people 18-24, a 37% drop for minors under 18, a 9.4% drop for people 55-64 and a small drop of 3% for seniors over 65.” Despite this, Homelessness in fact is seeing a peak in individuals for ages 35-44 and 45-55. These percentages round up to be 11% as well as 6.2% Therefore depending on certain circumstances such as age is one of the many factors that contribute.
Long Beach has continued to provide support for those without a home. These include programs such as a text information hotline in both English and Spanish. As well as mobile accessibility relief services. The city is continuing to develop more housing projects in the near future, but there are no updates as to when those will be announced. A press release from January 10th from the city of Long Beach mentions they have launched a pilot program to provide some source of income for those in need of assistance. As said by – Mayor Rex Richardson. “Through the program’s expansion, we are continuing to provide critical financial support to families most in need. I encourage all eligible residents to apply so they can receive financial support for everyday necessities.”Richardson has high expectations for the program and ensures this will be a true success.
If you are interested in finding out more information call (562)-668-1019 and mention this is press release #011024-2. You could also visit the website https://www.longbeach.gov/
References:
Berestein Rojas, L. (2024, May 8). Behind the numbers: Long Beach announces first drop in unhoused population since 2017. LAist. https://laist.com/news/housing-homelessness/behind-the-numbers-long-beach-announces-first-drop-in-unhoused-population-since-2017
City of Long Beach. (2024, January 10). Long Beach Pledge, guaranteed income pilot program expansion application now open. https://www.longbeach.gov/press-releases/long-beach-pledge-guaranteed-income-pilot-program-expansion-application-now-open/