Targeting a number of different housing problems residents have been facing, the City of Long Beach has recently initiated several programs to address homelessness, an aging housing stock and issues related to short-term rentals. Last week, officials announced: the commencement of an initiative that addresses the statewide homeless crisis and its effects on the city; an upcoming workshop to support homeowners in making their residences “healthy, comfortable, and environmentally friendly” ; and the start of the process to develop a proposed short-term rental (STR) ordinance that the community is encouraged to help devise.

Everyone Home LB
On April 19, city officials announced the start of Everyone Home Long Beach, a new initiative intended to build on existing efforts— by the Long Beach Health Department, the Continuum of Care and the Homeless Services Advisory Committee— to streamline processes, foster cohesiveness and bring attention to projects and programs that address homelessness and housing.

Officials said chief executive officers and community leaders from the city’s “major institutions” will participate in the initiative to develop new solutions to support those current efforts to transition people back into housing and services, identify opportunities to support those who need housing and devise solutions to prevent homelessness from occurring. The City has determined that prevention is one of the least funded efforts in the Continuum of Care but that providing increased support for families and people in crisis can prevent vulnerable seniors, families, veterans and youth from experiencing homelessness.

“While Long Beach has done some amazing work to address homelessness, it is clear we must do more,” Mayor Robert Garcia said, in a city press release issued last week. “This initiative is designed to mobilize the entire community to create new pathways into homes and to increase efforts to prevent our residents from becoming homeless in the first place.”

Everyone Home Long Beach will explore innovative ideas and approaches to address homelessness and the housing-affordability challenges associated with it, officials said.

According to the City’s press release, homelessness has reached unprecedented levels across California, and it will take the “combined efforts of all the key institutions, stakeholders and Long Beach community to make the dream of a home a reality for all residents.”

Jane Close Conoley, president of California State University Long Beach, will serve as chair for the initiative.

“To me, homelessness is definitely the moral issue of our time, and it’s why I’m excited to chair this initiative and get to work,” Conoley said. “We have students who are experiencing homelessness and need our support. This has become a statewide crisis.”

The initiative is the City’s latest move in addressing homelessness, after experiencing success as one of only three California cities with its own Continuum of Care program, which aims to assist those experiencing homelessness by helping them move into transitional and permanent housing. Long Beach’s point-in-time counts for its homeless population have declined in each of its last four counts— by 41 percent from 2011 to 2017— according to the City, whose network of partners include: the Health and Human Services Department; police; fire; public works; the Parks, Recreation & Marine Department; the Homeless Services Advisory Committee; and the Continuum of Care’s board and general membership.

Annually, more than 1,000 people are served at the Multi-Service Center with more than 13,000 visits each year, according to the April 19 press release. It also indicates that nearly 3,100 people— including 1,243 veterans— have been permanently housed since 2013.

Those involved in the initiative will meet through the summer, and City staff will report their work to the mayor and city council in the fall.

Healthy homes
On April 28, the City will host the second of two workshops offered this month to support homeowners and new homebuyers in making their houses “healthy, comfortable and environmentally friendly,” according to officials. (The first workshop was April 26.)

An April 19 City of Long Beach press release states that, “Energy-efficiency upgrades conserve energy and create a more comfortable living space with better indoor air quality for a healthier environment.” To present the workshops, the City’s Office of Sustainability is partnering with Green Education Inc., a 501c3 nonprofit that “partners with municipalities and community-based stakeholders to educate, revitalize and transform communities into green sustainable neighborhoods, create healthy and energy-efficient homes, good green jobs and a burgeoning green economy,” according to officials.

During the workshop, the nonprofit will share several upgrade financing options, including the Energy Efficient Mortgage, which applies to those who are buying or refinancing homes. Through the federal program, the cost of energy-efficiency upgrades is bundled into a mortgage for the same financing terms, and homeowners and homebuyers are automatically qualified for up to an additional 5 percent of their home’s value on their mortgage loan. Furthermore, rebates and other incentives can be combined with financing options to make upgrades more affordable, according to city officials.

The workshops are the result of a city council item that 1st District Councilmember Lena Gonzalez introduced and Councilmembers Suzie Price and Roberto Uranga supported. Officials say Long Beach has an “aging housing stock” with over 80 percent of owner-occupied units constructed before 1970.

“A home that is healthy, comfortable and energy-efficient is attainable,” Gonzalez said. “Green Education Inc. has incredible resources to share. I encourage everyone to take advantage of these workshops and learn how to save the environment while saving money.”

Home-energy efficiency improvements can create a 25-percent reduction in energy usage and make homes more comfortable for their residents, according to the City, which added that buildings account for 39 percent of emissions in the U.S. and that energy efficiency is an effective tool to help Long Beach reduce its greenhouse-gas emissions.

“We are excited to offer this resource to Long Beach homeowners and homebuyers,” Mayor Garcia said. “We are always looking for ways to support our residents in creating a more healthy and sustainable city.”

The April 28 workshop will take place from 9am to 11am at the Energy Resources Auditorium, 2400 E. Spring St. Those interested are encouraged to register at bit.ly/SmartHomesLB.

Short-term rentals
Currently, short-term rentals (STR)— also known as “vacation rentals,” such as those facilitated through sites like AirBnb and HomeAway— are prohibited in Long Beach, per Municipal Code 21.51.270. However, the City has initiated the process of developing a proposed STR ordinance—which will require an update to zoning regulations to include safety and design guidelines and a transient occupancy tax— and is inviting the community to get involved and provide input. The first opportunity for residents to do so will be at a kick-off workshop on Wednesday, May 2, from 6pm to 8pm at the Recreation Park Golf Course 18 Banquet Room, 5001 Deukmejian Dr.

The free event will include an interactive presentation on the proposed STR ordinance, live polling and an open-house component to engage residents and offer opportunities for them to provide initial opinions on the ordinance process. Translation services in Spanish, Tagalog and Khmer will be available.
Although city officials say STRs can provide several economic benefits, including increased tourism activity and business revenues, they can also present challenges to the housing stock, as well as have adverse effects on traffic and parking.

(To address the latter issue, on April 20, the City announced the creation of 121 new Alamitos Beach parking spaces along 1st Street and 2nd Street between Alamitos Avenue and Cherry Avenue. The spaces were made by increasing the angle of diagonal striping for already existing parking spaces on the north side of 1st Street and the south side of 2nd Street. Previously, the diagonal parking spaces were striped at a 60-degree angle, but by increasing the angle, the City was able to add the spaces.)

In March 2017, the city council— at the request of Councilmembers Jeannine Pearce, Price, Dee Andrews and Rex Richardson— directed a review of the regulation of STRs, upon seeing a proliferation of vacation-rental sites in recent years.

City officials say the process to develop regulations for STRs will involve outreach and engagement activities to provide several opportunities for the community to give input, including a community-roundtable workshop and a public-review workshop. An online survey will also be circulated for the project team to garner feedback and direction for crafting several ordinance options. The survey will be made available in English, Spanish, Tagalog and Khmer, according to officials.

“Based on the community input received during the community-outreach events, as well as a targeted case study of STR ordinances in other jurisdictions and an economic-fiscal feasibility assessment, an STR ordinance recommendation is anticipated to be presented to city council in fall 2018,” states an April 17 press release from the City.

More information about the effort to develop an STR ordinance is available at lbds.info/lbshorttermrental.