Los Angeles County’s Pathway Home program brought 21 people experiencing homelessness off the streets of Long Beach and into safe interim housing, where they will receive supportive services and other resources that will enable them to transition out of homelessness and into permanent housing.
“The conditions in this encampment along the LA River were unacceptable — both for the people living in tents and makeshift shelters and the North Long Beach community at large. I am grateful that we could bring people inside and get them the support and resources they need,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “These encampments are their own tight-knit communities and being able to provide folks rooms in the same motel as the people they trust and depend on is one of the reasons these operations are so effective. None of this would be possible without the partnership with the City of Long Beach, and I applaud their willingness to embrace solutions to this crisis.”
The LA County Homeless Initiative collaborated with the Office of Supervisor Hahn and the City of Long Beach to conduct the Pathway Home operation on January 17th. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) and nonprofit service providers HOPICS, Mental Health America of Los Angeles, and Harbor Interfaith Services were essential to bringing unsheltered residents indoors as they had built trusting relationships with them by providing engagement and support during their unhoused experience. HOPICS will continue to work with them at the motel operating as their interim housing location.
The LA County Chief Executive Office and the LA County Departments of Health Services, Mental Health, Public Health, Sheriff’s, Public Works, and Animal Care and Control were also critical partners.
“Today, we have brought some of our most vulnerable neighbors indoors and onto a path to lasting stability through the Pathway Home program,’’ said Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson. “This is a holistic approach that provides shelter, hope, and resources for those experiencing homelessness and they can build a brighter future in Long Beach. I want to thank the LA County Homeless Initiative and Supervisor Hahn’s Office.”
Dr. Joni Ricks-Oddie, Long Beach Councilmember for District 9, said, “I am grateful for the many converging efforts to address homelessness that are taking place both in the City of Long Beach and Los Angeles County. With the initiative that took place in District 9 as well as 21 individuals being placed in interim housing using Measure H dollars, we are seeing more individuals enter into the continuum of care to achieve housing stability.”
Pathway Home is an LA County Homeless Initiative-led encampment resolution program that is a critical component of the County’s comprehensive response to the local emergency on homelessness adopted by the Board of Supervisors in 2023. By leveraging emergency powers and partnerships with local jurisdictions, Pathway Home is a full-circle solution that brings people off the streets into immediately available interim housing accompanied by a comprehensive suite of supportive services and, ultimately, into safe, permanent homes.
