As a community, we have all been impacted financially, physically, emotionally, and/or socially by the pandemic. Without question, vulnerable populations experiencing homelessness in our community have been disproportionately impacted. According to the last point-in-time count conducted in early 2020—even before the impacts of COVID—Long Beach saw a 7% rise in the number of individuals experiencing homelessness.
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Solutions have been proposed. Government programs exist. Stimulus checks, rent relief, food drives, and eviction moratoriums provide households with the temporary means to be able to feed their families, pay bills, and keep a roof over their heads. The recent Long Beach Recovery Plan also included federal funding to homeless services. This will not be enough.