Crews Clear Long Beach Encampment, All But 1 Person Move Into Temporary Housing

LONG BEACH, CA — A state program helped 25 people in Long Beach find interim housing as part of an initiative to address homelessness, the governor's office announced Monday.

Gov. Gavin Newsom partnered with Long Beach officials to address an encampment near the Los Angeles riverbed as part of his State Action for Facilitation on Encampments task force, state officials said.

“There’s nothing humane about letting people languish outdoors without shelter or support,” Newsom said in a written statement. “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.”

Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson praised the governor’s initiative, calling it “a coordinated, compassionate approach that connects people with housing, services, and long-term support.”

“Every person in Long Beach deserves safety, stability, and a real path forward,” Richardson said in a written statement. “For too long, our neighbors living along the riverbed have faced dangerous conditions that have been difficult to address because they span multiple jurisdictions.”

The task force assisted people living at an encampment on state property alongside freeways at the State Route 91 and I-710 Interchange, officials said.

In the weeks leading up to the cleanup, officials said they spoke with the people at the encampment, offering shelter and supportive services, such as healthcare.

Paul Duncan, the city's homeless services bureau manager, told Patch that efforts to speak with the community started in November.

“Our team has been going out and engaging with people along the LA Riverbed …, asking about their interest in going inside,” Duncan said in a video shared by the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services on X. “(We) found that almost everybody was interested and wanted to find their way inside.”

Twenty-five people from the encampment were moved to interim housing at a nearby Homekey site starting last week, Duncan told Patch.

"Outreach teams continue to engage the one person who declined shelter, offering services and placement opportunities as part of the City’s ongoing person-centered approach," Duncan said.

The Homekey, located at 5950 Long Beach Blvd., is the city's newest interim housing site, according to Duncan.

"It was formerly the Luxury Inn and has been converted into a 78-unit supportive housing facility," Duncan said.

Steve, who has been homeless for four and a half years, was among those helped, he said in the governor’s video.

While Steve was hesitant to leave his home by the riverbed, he said this was his “start over.”

“This is my starting line to get my family back together. It’s my safe spot,” Steve said. “This is gonna save me.”

Launched in 2019, the Homekey program is an effort “to rapidly house individuals experiencing homelessness,” officials said.

“Through the program, the state provided local communities with funding to transform existing buildings — such as commercial spaces, hotels, motels, adult residential facilities, and manufactured housing — to permanent or interim housing for the target population,” officials said.

Those who accepted shelter at Long Beach's newest Homekey site are receiving onsite case management, meals, health services and housing navigation, Duncan said.

There is no fixed time limit on people's stays, Duncan said.

Instead, Duncan said, "stays are based on each person’s needs and housing progress.

"People will be matched to housing resources and opportunities as they become available," Duncan said.

So far, the state has allocated “$3.6 billion to fund 261 projects with 15,962 homes expected to house more than 175,000 Californians over the projects’ lifetimes,” according to state officials.

After those living in the Long Beach encampment were moved into shelter, Caltrans workers “picked up debris and hazardous materials, clearing approximately 150 tons of debris over three days,” officials said.

The SAFE Task Force, created in August, works with local agencies “to address encampments on state rights of way in California’s 10 largest cities,” officials said. The task force has also cleared encampments in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Anaheim, Fresno, and San Diego.

“Housing stability is a critical first step to address and end homelessness,” Business, Consumer Services and Housing Secretary Tomiquia Moss said in a written statement. “In California, we’re prioritizing meeting people where they are to help provide access to permanent housing and ongoing services."