Long Beach, Los Angeles – A Community Partnership Approach

Policy

At current, Long Beach is home to 4,290 homeless people, making its total rate of homelessness 0.00929.[1] For some time, Long Beach had the lowest rate of homelessness of cities in the USA.[2] However, its current rate is higher than the rate of homelessness in Auckland. This could be due to institutional differences with respect to the social welfare systems of New Zealand and the United States of America. Despite the higher rate, Long Beach’s policy arrangements have some clear advantages over Auckland’s policy arrangements. As in Auckland, Long Beach’s council works with NGOs to address homelessness. The 2008 community partnership policy frames homelessness as an unwanted experience that indicates that people need community assistance.[3] It establishes a framework for addressing the long-term needs of the homeless, rather than just providing emergency support. It links homelessness to the increased cost of living, associating homelessness with wider trends in the socio-economic environment, rather than with individual fault.[4] While dignity is not discussed, a focus on re-characterising homelessness and ensuring that homelessness is met with a community-wide response suggests a campaign to promote the dignity of the homeless. In terms of agency coordination, the Community Partnership approach places authority in the Long Beach Government, which then supports other agencies to meet certain other goals. Within the Long Beach Government, the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for coordinating and implementing the city’s approach to homelessness. This includes collecting data which allows for better-informed practices.

Programmes

The Long Beach Government has assisted NGOs with the development of two major service centres for the homeless.[5] It does so by providing funds for the development and implementation of services that offer long-term support ot the homeless. These centres offer emergency accommodation and foods, as well as assistance through case management, skills programmes, education services, health services, and re-integration services.[6]

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