Long Beach Continuum of Care Receives $8.17 Million Grant Award to Fight Homelessness
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“These competitive grant awards represent the confidence of our federal partners in our compassionate approach to homelessness,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “The collective effort on the part of the Multi-Service Center, and all of the members of the Continuum of Care, create opportunities to end homelessness in Long Beach by helping individuals and families obtain the supportive services and housing they need.”
The Long Beach CoC is a collaboration of service providers working together to end homelessness. The central hub for intake and assessment for the Long Beach CoC is the Multi-Service Center, which averages 26,000 client visits annually, making it the primary point of entry for persons seeking homeless services assistance in the City of Long Beach.
During the 2013 HUD competition, the Long Beach CoC was designated as a Unified Funding Agency (UFA). Among the 410 CoCs nationwide, Long Beach and Columbus, Ohio, are the only two CoC’s to have received this status, which establishes greater local control and decision making authority over federal funding for programs that serve individuals and families experiencing homelessness. The grant will fund two new projects to support the Health Department-led Unified Funding Agency planning activities
“Obtaining the Unified Funding Agency designation demonstrates our ability to effectively manage resources and build partnerships to address homelessness in Long Beach,” said Kelly Colopy, Director of the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services. “The Continuum of Care’s performance-based approaches and targeted local resources for Veterans and chronically homeless individuals as well as the engagement of diverse stakeholders are key aspects of our work, which allow us to meet the critical needs of the Long Beach community.”
The Long Beach CoC received one of only 25 new permanent housing bonus project awards nationwide, as part of a special competition to make progress toward the national goal of ending chronic homelessness. The three-year project will provide a total of $1.06 million to help chronically homeless individuals achieve and maintain housing stability, increase self-sufficiency, and improve health outcomes.
The Long Beach CoC will continue to leverage its partnerships and resources to end homelessness in the City of Long Beach. If you require assistance or have questions regarding homeless services, please contact the Multi-Service Center at 562.570.4500.
Contact : Kelly Colopy, Director, Health and Human Services 562.570.4016
Kelly.Colopy (at) longbeach (dot) gov
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