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The Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services, Long Beach Area Coalition for the Homeless and Mental Health America are collaborating with community partners to hold a conference entitled Community Connections for Homeless Solutions to be held on April 27, 2017.

Community Connections for Homeless Solutions will bring together stakeholders involved in homeless services and those from the outside to discuss implementable solutions and be a part of the City’s blueprint for preventing and addressing homelessness in the future. This approach to combat homelessness engages and increases coordination among all the different stakeholders in the city.

This conference is the product of countless hours of thought and planning by individuals committed to addressing homelessness in our city. Originally conceived as a project of the Long Beach Area Coalition for the Homeless as a summit to engage in a citywide dialogue, the process has taken over a year and has involved representatives from city government, Continuum of Care funded partners, business owners and residents, along with non-profits assisting the homeless.

 

Too often, homelessness is seen as ‘someone else’s problem’ with fingers pointed at the Police Department, Heath Department or non-profits for allowing homelessness to happen.  This conference will not end homelessness in Long Beach, but it can be an important step determine who will take ownership of solutions and coordination among partners.

Sessions will cover Prevention, Services, and Housing, including in-depth discussions on strategies for keeping people housed in a changing rental market and best practices for ensuring people under the care of hospitals and government care are not discharged into homelessness

This conference will create cross-sector working groups that will continue the work of addressing complex the challenges faced by residents experiencing homelessness in our city.