LONG BEACH (CNS) - A year-round homeless shelter and service center in North Long Beach is scheduled to open in June.
Preliminary plans call for a 125-bed shelter/transitional housing along with space for supportive services. It will be built under a $3.375 million contract with Williams Scotsman, Inc., including installation and permitting.
The first phase of the shelter will be built on the vacant part of the 99,000-square-foot parcel from 6841-6845 Atlantic Ave. The Long Beach City Council approved purchase of the parcel in February for $9.6 million.
The contract, approved by the Long Beach City Council last week, will be paid for with a $3.4 million grant from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, a grant specifically for capital costs of bridge housing. The grant was received in 2018, and the money is supposed to be spent by July 1, the Press-Telegram reported.
Long Beach has committed $1.775 million for furnishings, fixtures and one-time costs for setup of the housing. That money will come from Long Beach's general fund surpluses or the general fund reserve.
Long Beach's Health and Human Services Department hopes to operate the housing facility with money from revenue provided in Los Angeles County's Measure H.
A staff report said Long Beach should be reimbursed $45 per person housed per day, about $2 million a year. That would be enough to cover utilities, maintenance and daily operations.
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