Long Beach opens 78-room interim shelter at 5950, city cites gains in shelter capacity
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Mayor Rex Richardson on Nov. 13 joined city officials to open an interim shelter at 5950 in North Long Beach, a property the city said it converted from a former nuisance motel into housing for people experiencing homelessness.
"It transformed a nuisance motel into a safe, dignified space where people can rebuild their lives," Richardson said, crediting neighborhood residents, the Long Beach Health and Human Services Department, public works and nonprofit partners. He told attendees the city has added "more than 200 beds" recently and said shelter capacity has increased 84% since the city declared a local emergency on homelessness.
The shelter, funded in part through Project Homekey and city resources, has 78 upgraded units, 12 of which are accessible, city officials said. Paul Duncan, manager in the Long Beach Health and Human Services Department, said the site will prioritize people living nearby — including those in the LA Riverbed across the road — and will include two converted rooms for office and intake work, on-site case management and partner services.
Duncan said staff expect to begin intake "mid next month," and that residents will receive three meals a day and will be allowed to keep pets. "There'll be people on-site 24 hours a day supporting the people that are living here," he said, describing the facility as a short-term step toward permanent housing rather than a long-term residence.
Joshua Hickman, acting director for Public Works, said the project also included infrastructure improvements tied to the conversion, including work on Pump Station 11 to support the storm-drain system. He also noted a neighborhood investment — a groundbreaking for the 51st Street Greenbelt scheduled for Nov. 10 — and symbolically turned the keys over to the Health and Human Services manager.
Richardson framed the expansion as part of a broader strategy. He said street-level homelessness in Long Beach has fallen about 17% since the emergency declaration and urged other Los Angeles County cities to expand interim housing. He also warned of potential interruptions to SNAP benefits on Nov. 1 and asked federal leaders to act to avoid worsening needs in the community.
The city named First to Serve as the on-site service provider; staff said the provider team is finalizing room staging and will ramp up staffing over the coming weeks. Tours of the facility were open to attendees after the ceremony.
The opening was ceremonial: no formal vote or ordinance was recorded at the event. City officials said intake and move-in scheduling are the next procedural steps.
"It transformed a nuisance motel into a safe, dignified space where people can rebuild their lives," Richardson said, crediting neighborhood residents, the Long Beach Health and Human Services Department, public works and nonprofit partners. He told attendees the city has added "more than 200 beds" recently and said shelter capacity has increased 84% since the city declared a local emergency on homelessness.
The shelter, funded in part through Project Homekey and city resources, has 78 upgraded units, 12 of which are accessible, city officials said. Paul Duncan, manager in the Long Beach Health and Human Services Department, said the site will prioritize people living nearby — including those in the LA Riverbed across the road — and will include two converted rooms for office and intake work, on-site case management and partner services.
Duncan said staff expect to begin intake "mid next month," and that residents will receive three meals a day and will be allowed to keep pets. "There'll be people on-site 24 hours a day supporting the people that are living here," he said, describing the facility as a short-term step toward permanent housing rather than a long-term residence.
Joshua Hickman, acting director for Public Works, said the project also included infrastructure improvements tied to the conversion, including work on Pump Station 11 to support the storm-drain system. He also noted a neighborhood investment — a groundbreaking for the 51st Street Greenbelt scheduled for Nov. 10 — and symbolically turned the keys over to the Health and Human Services manager.
Richardson framed the expansion as part of a broader strategy. He said street-level homelessness in Long Beach has fallen about 17% since the emergency declaration and urged other Los Angeles County cities to expand interim housing. He also warned of potential interruptions to SNAP benefits on Nov. 1 and asked federal leaders to act to avoid worsening needs in the community.
The city named First to Serve as the on-site service provider; staff said the provider team is finalizing room staging and will ramp up staffing over the coming weeks. Tours of the facility were open to attendees after the ceremony.
The opening was ceremonial: no formal vote or ordinance was recorded at the event. City officials said intake and move-in scheduling are the next procedural steps.
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