Hello Long Beach! Here is a weekly recap of the city’s news to start the week of March 13, 2023.
Long Beach Health Department announces community grant opportunities to support summer youth programming
$600,000 in grants will be made available this year to support youth development programs through the Measure US fund disbursement. Measure US was passed in 2020 to provide funding for public health, climate change, and youth development programs in 3-year disbursements that started in 2021. Grant opportunities will be made through The Youth 100 Fund, which will give out awards ranging from $500 – $2000 to formal and informal community groups (groups with or without nonprofit status). The Youth 100 Fund application is available through April 18, 2023, and can be found here. Grant opportunities will also be made available through Youth Power PB Long Beach, which is specifically for nonprofit organizations working under the goal of the Youth and Emerging Adults Strategic Plan. These grants range between $10,000 – $75,000 and require a lengthier application process. Information sessions will be held throughout the week; people interested in learning more can register here. Learn more about these community grants here.
The city seeks organization to partner with for the Long Beach Reentry Achievement Program
The city is looking for a qualified organization to partner with for the Long Beach Reentry Achievement Program. This program intends to provide supportive services to formerly incarcerated individuals and their families to facilitate their transition to civilian life. The goal is for formerly incarcerated community members to avoid a relapse into criminal behavior through the awareness of mental health services, employment opportunities, housing, and case management services. This program also aims to reunify these individuals with family members through a centralized hub for re-entry services. Organizations interested in being a partner can attend a zoom meeting on Wednesday, March 15 at 10 a.m. or email rfppurchasing@longbeach.gov by 11 a.m. on March 17. Learn more here.
Grow Long Beach initiative will explore new revenue streams for the city
The Grow Long Beach initiative is a motion that wishes to divert the city’s reliance on oil revenue by exploring economic development in areas such as aerospace and tourism. Mayor Rex Richardson expressed that relying on fossil fuels as a form of revenue is not ideal for communal health and financial wellness and that by the 2030s the city would head toward a more climate-stable economy. Currently, $12 million of existing General Fund city services are funded by oil revenue, so the city is looking to identify more forms of revenue streams that will match or exceed the $12 million. Other profitable industries the city is taking into consideration are education, the Port of Long Beach and the supply chain, the arts, and hospitality. Learn more here.
Long Beach’s Community Crisis Response Team will divert some police calls to mental health workers
In Mid-April the city is expecting to launch a program that will have mental health workers respond to police calls involving people who appear to be experiencing mental health problems, and who are non-violent and unarmed. The Community Crisis Response Team will be made up of 5 experienced mental health professionals and will only respond to the Long Beach Police Department’s West Division Monday through Friday. The program is set to run for 18 months, and the city will either modify or expand it depending on the success of the program. These programs have been appearing in many cities around the country in response to the increased number of police calls received related to mental health crises. The idea is that because law enforcement has fallen under criticism for the way they have handled these calls in the past, these calls can now fall into the hands of people who are trained to provide mental health services without the situation escalating to violence. Learn more here.
Long Beach’s VA hospital opens new Veteran Resource Center
A new Veteran resource center has just opened at the Tibor Rubin Medical Center last week and intends to be a “one-stop shop” for former members of the U.S. Armed forces. The resource center includes a patient advocate office, a virtual health resource office, and whole health services. It will also provide social work services, veteran benefits administration, connections to service organizations, beneficiary travel reimbursement, and release of information and medical records. Learn more here.
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