Homelessness Rises In Long Beach, City Officials Blame Wildfires

LONG BEACH, CA — Homelessness increased in Long Beach over the past year, with city officials citing the Los Angeles wildfires as a key factor.

During a meeting yesterday to discuss this year's findings, Long Beach city officials said 3,595 people were experiencing homelessness, an increase of 6.5%. Of that 6.5% increase, city officials attributed 5% to the January wildfires in Los Angeles County, while 1.5% was due to other factors.

"What we found was, it was a pretty significant impact, with 167 people identifying that they had been displaced due to the fires and were now experiencing homelessness here in Long Beach," Paul Duncan, Long Beach's homeless services bureau manager, said during the discussion Tuesday. "If you were to take that out, we are seeing that our overall count is about a 1.5% increase."

The wildfires began on Jan. 7 and continued for several weeks, coinciding with Long Beach's homeless count on Jan. 23.

As one of Los Angeles County's augmented weather shelter sites, Long Beach was activated to provide housing for displaced people during the wildfires, city officials said.

But despite the slight increase, Mayor Rex Richardson said the "key takeaway" from this year's count was that more people experiencing homelessness were using shelter resources and fewer were living outside.

“When we look at the City’s efforts to address homelessness apart from the tragic wildfires, we’ve seen improvements in areas where we have struggled in the past, such as a profound decrease in chronic homelessness,” Mayor Rex Richardson said in a statement Tuesday. “We’re proud of the progress that’s been made, and we remain committed to continuing that work.”

People experiencing chronic homelessness went from 1,705 to 1678, a 3.8% decrease, according to this year's data. There was also a 46.6% increase in people accessing shelter, which city officials attribute to the "effectiveness of targeted interventions."

Although the number of people suffering from chronic homelessness decreased, there was a slight increase in people reporting being unhoused over the last year, city officials said. Data shows that the number increased by 1.7% to 390 people.

Of those 390 people, 56.8% said they lost their housing in Long Beach, 26.7% came from nearby areas in Los Angeles and 6.2% were from Orange County, according to the data.

The most common reason people cited for losing their homes was financial hardship, according to city officials. The number of people reporting financial hardship rose by 4.1%, the data shows.

Others cite childhood trauma, including abuse or neglect, as challenges they're facing, according to city officials. And many face underlying conditions, such as physical disabilities, severe mental illness, substance abuse and traumatic brain injuries, according to this year's findings.

"These conditions can make living in unsupported housing and holding a job much more difficult," according to this year's comprehensive report. Many other issues they face can lead to a cycle of instability, which then makes it more difficult for them to access housing or support, according to city officials.

As of Jan. 23, at least 2,606 out of 3,595 people experiencing homelessness remain unsheltered in Long Beach.

But city officials believe increasing outreach and engagement efforts, moving people into non-congregate shelters and then finding them permanent housing and more support resources to transition people into stable housing are keys to lasting progress to reduce homelessness.

Some of the efforts by the city include a newly refurbished interim housing, Homekey at 1725, which used to be the site of the Best Western motel. This new housing grants the city 99 more interim housing units.

Case management services are also provided at the site to help people staying there access resources that may eventually lead to secure long-term housing, city officials said.

The city is also working on opening two new centers — one focused on young adults ages 18 to 24, who are some of the most vulnerable groups facing homelessness, and another Homekey project at the site of the former Luxury Inn motel.

Long Beach also received $11 million in funding from the state to address the homeless population along the Los Angeles Riverbed, according to city officials. The plan is to use that funding to increase outreach and engagement efforts, open more non-congested shelters with resources that lead to their residents finding permanent housing.

For the comprehensive report on the 2025 homeless count, click here.