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Long Beach Secures $11 Million Grant to Address Riverbed Homelessness
By Staff Writer
Published on Fri, Mar 21, 2025
As part of its commitment to addressing homelessness, the City of Long Beach recently secured an $11 million grant from the State of California to help house people currently living along the Los Angeles Riverbed.
This latest round of Encampment Resolution Funding connects individuals experiencing homelessness to much-needed services, including shelter and long-term housing solutions.
Long Beach has already demonstrated success with two previous rounds of ERF grants. The city has been recognized by the state as a model for others, being one of only three Continuums of Care to receive ERF funding for a third time. A Continuum of Care is a coordinated system of citywide services designed to work in conjunction to address homelessness.
Notably, nearly half of all participants experiencing homelessness who were aided in the first round of funding secured permanent housing or remain enrolled in the program. In the second round, so far, 64 people have been sheltered and 10 people have found permanent housing.
It’s all part of an ongoing effort to reduce homelessness through compassionate outreach and structured support.
A critical focus of the new funding is the 9.5-mile stretch of the Los Angeles Riverbed running through Long Beach, which has long been home to one of the City’s largest and most persistent homeless encampments. The area presents significant safety concerns, given its proximity to a busy freeway and limited accessibility for emergency responders.
Data from the 2024 Point in Time Count highlights the challenges faced by individuals in the riverbed area, with 92% reporting homelessness for a year or longer.
With this new round of funding, Long Beach plans to offer targeted engagement, immediate interim and emergency shelter options, and long-term housing solutions. While the funding was awarded to Long Beach, the initiative is a collaborative effort with Los Angeles County, given the jurisdictional overlap of the riverbed.
With continued strategic and humane action, Long Beach is proving that change is possible—one person, one shelter and one home at a time.
