City OKs funds to improve homeless center
$5.2 million state allocation is for Multi-Service Center; Wrigley Greenbelt Park will also benefit
The LongBeach City Council passed a resolution to accept a $5.2 million state grant to overhaul the Multi-Service Center for the homeless and finish pending work on a walking trail and educational signs at the Wrigley Greenbelt Park.
The 8-0 vote paves the way for city to authorize the use of grant money from the California Natural Resources Agency after state Sen. Lena Gonzalez requested the allocations to be included within AB 179, or the state budget for fiscal year 2022-23.
Of the total money assigned, $4 million is expected to pay for upgrades to the MSC that include replacement of floors, air conditioning, heating and ventilation equipment, as well as purchase and installation of new fences, security cameras and a new roof.
Additional improvements will be made to boost safety features to enter and exit the premises, such as installing electronic doors and safety buttons, and add amenities including laptop charging stations for staff and customers, a shade structure and new landscaping.
The center, located at 1301 W. 12th St., is run in partnership by the city and the state's Department of Health and Human Services. At least 27 employees at the facility provide case management services, coordinate provision of mental and behavioral treatments, and evaluate the need for additional health care for folks without home.
The center's website informs that employees at the center gather the homeless' personal information and begin connections with the Los Angeles County's Coordinate Entry System, a network of service providers that seek to get the unhoused shelter and other resources with equity and efficiency.
The center also helps its customers to obtain personal identifications and vital medical records, provides mail services, supports people seeking employment and tries to devise ways for clients to regain housing and prevent homelessness.
A report issued by the city's Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine indicates the repairs are needed to sustain programming, delivery of services and a variety of operations at the MSC, and said issuance of work contracts depended upon the resolution's passage.
The report also gives a deadline to complete the projects by March 1, 2026, due to the grants' expiration date on June 31, 2026.
On the Wrigley Greenbelt front, the $1.2 million Senator Gonzalez had promised a year ago will be used to complete restoration of eight acres with native plants and trees, conduct controlled irrigation, support a weaving bioswale and finish a onemile walking trail.
Although the christened Wrigley Greenbelt Project was officially opened to the public on May 19, the funds would cover unfinished work not paid for, such as educational signs and improvements to make it more accessible.
Approval of the resolution brings closure to the park's rocky history of finding and securing funds for the project.
Final work at the Wrigley Greenbelt Project has been tagged at $3.82 million, but it took the city 14years to begin restoration, initially conceived in 1993.
When the project was launched in 2008, the city had only clinched two grants from the Los Angeles County worth $1.6 million, and had to seek more funds from other initiatives that delayed work for nearly a decade.
Due to lack of funds in 2019, the city partnered with the Conservation Corps of Long Beach, a nonprofit that assisted in securing more money, with the caveat that a scaled back version had to be adopted.
Dan Knapp, CEO of Conservation Corps of Long Beach, said the nonprofit's association with the Wrigley Greenbelt Project is over, and ignored how the city would spend the current state allocation.
Knapp said the city approached the nonprofit in 2019 with the objective to get help to relaunch construction, but only had $1million to invest, thus a smaller design was blueprinted.
Ultimately, the project ended costing the Conservation Corps about $400,000, he said.
“Our role is to bring extra resources for the city, and to train youth and the children,” said Knapp who expects the latest money windfall would bring enhancements like water fountains.
City Manager Tom Modica said the money allocation for both facilities is part of funds Sen. Gonzalez pledged to secure a year ago.
Modica told the audience at the Sept. 9 public meeting the money will cover repairs at the MultiServices Center that are “in dire need,” and pay for technological upgrades
“We are going to put it to a good use. The Greenbelt (park) is already open. The community is loving it, and we'll be doing a number of facility improvements at the Multi-Services Center,” said Modica.
Mayor Rex Richardson said the state allocations are “good news.”