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.
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Thanks to the American Rescue Act signed last week by President Biden, Long Beach is expected to receive $153 million to address the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We have a historic opportunity to invest in our children, at-risk youth, senior citizens, and those disadvantaged communities most devastated by the pandemic. But only if our elected leaders make the right choices.
The impact of COVID-19 varies greatly depending on who you are and where you live.
Rate of cases per 100K population by zip code in Long Beach. Courtesy of city’s COVID-19 dashboard.
Members of our Latinx, Black, Cambodian, and Pacific Islander communities have been hardest hit by the pandemic.