The Long Beach Advancing Peace (LBAP) Initiative, also known as the Violence Prevention Initiative, is a systems-level approach to promote peace for al in the city. We believe that Long Beach residents and organizations know what their community needs, that residents and organizations can work together or create programs that will have positive outcomes, and that everyone deserves to feel safe.
Through funding, training, and administrative support, we assist Long Beach residents, community-based organizations (CBOs), victims of violence, schools, and areas affected by high levels of community and gun violence.
LBAP works together with residents and organizations to achieve four goals.
- Create Social Connectedness
- Support Economic Opportunity
- Build Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods
- Use Trauma-Informed Systems
Frequently Asked Questions about Long Beach Advancing Peace (LBAP) Initiative
Social Connectedness
We will work to increase participation in community anti-violence programs by:
- Promoting community events citywide
- Providing research to identify and address community violence
- Working with residents or CBO to support their event or service by connecting the program with existing services to increase the scope of the program or event
- Supporting programs with funding, as funding allows, or suggesting other grant opportunities
Economic Opportunity
LBAP understands that a lack of economic opportunity can increase violence.
We will help increase economic opportunity for Long Beach Residents. Services that help increase opportunities include:
- Affordable childcare
- Workshops on financial literacy focusing on topics such as credit, retirement, and banking
- Jobs for youth, people newly released from jail or prison, (also known as re-entry populations), and others facing barriers to employment
- Connecting unemployed and underemployed job seekers with career opportunities
We connect organizations and residents to agencies that provide the services listed above. We also add these services to our newsletter to promote opportunities. If you would like us to promote programs that increase economic opportunity, please email us at LBPeace@longbeach.gov.
Safe & Healthy Neighborhoods
In partnership with other neighborhood organizations, we will increase safety in the city of Long Beach. Currently we are:
- Increasing adult supervision along school routes
- Promoting the safe use of public spaces and community gathering areas
- Investing in physical improvements and revitalizing neighborhoods most impacted by violence
- Decreasing litter and other physical blight in public streets and alleyways
Trauma-Informed Systems
We work with City departments and contract providers to incorporate trauma informed practices and policies in violence prevention efforts. We will meet with organizations to provide training and resources.
The Long Beach Advancing Peace Steering Committee helps set the agenda for the Collaborative Network and directs the implementation of violence prevention strategies in neighborhoods.
Members of the Long Beach Advancing Peace Steering Committee:
-
Christopher Covington
-
Cindy Sahagun
-
Dr. Dinesa Thomas-Whitman
-
Gerald Johnson
-
Maleka Long
-
Paul Wood
-
Hilda Gaytan
-
James Marks
-
Keith Lilly
-
Kristopher McLucas
-
Martha Cota
-
Sithy Bin
The LBAP Collaborative network allows us to harness the power of working together! Together, we can achieve goals that are greater than the sum of our parts.
The purpose of the Collaborative Network is to create partnerships that can help interrupt community violence.
Collaborative Network members include nonprofit leaders, neighborhood associations, resident leaders and City staff all working to reimagine public safety in Long Beach.
We will achieve this by coordinating our resources and services.
Led by the Health Department, the Collaborative Network:
- Meets quarterly
- Creates a violence prevention strategy
- Collects data to evaluate progress
- Promotes relationships among collaborative members
- Shares grant opportunities
Programs within the LBAP
The Health Department will launch the Long Beach Advancing Peace Safe Passage Program in partnership with a nonprofit organization and program volunteers in 2023. The Safe Passage Program will help make walking to and from school safer for middle and high school students who live in areas most at risk for crime and pedestrian injuries. Safe Passage services are to be conducted before and after school as parents, children and youth walk to and from school.
Safe Passage's Safe Haven Business
Along school routes, students may need to find a safe place to call a parent or call for help.
Are you concerned about an area in your neighborhood?
If your concern is an emergency, please call the police or 9-1-1.
The Long Beach Activating Safe Communities (LBASC) Program, initiated by the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services' Community Impact Division, aims to prevent and reduce community violence. Initially focused on the Washington Neighborhood, it implemented the Gun Violence Response Protocol (GVRP) to address gun-involved incidents, provide case coordination, and foster multisector partnerships to enhance community resilience. With support from the California Board of State and Community Corrections, the program has successfully extended its reach to North and Central-East Long Beach areas. Targeted towards communities affected by gun violence, including youth and families, LBASC has demonstrated notable success. The expanded program will be executed until June 2025, providing community outreach, park programming, youth mentoring, and economic engagement, thereby fostering safer and healthier neighborhoods.
North Focus Area
Central-East Focus Area
The LBASC program also oversaw the training of 32 Community Violence Intervention (CVI) workers through two professional training programs. This initiative, facilitated by the Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) and funded through a combination of California Violence Intervention and Prevention Program (CalVIP) grant funds and one-time funding approved as part of the Mayor’s Budget Recommendations for the Fiscal Year 2025 City Budget, reflects a significant community-initiatedstrategy to strengthen local, culturally-rooted violence prevention efforts.
These trained practitioners play a critical role in responding to incidents of gun violence. Their responsibilities include controllingrumors, preventing retaliation, de-escalating community tensions, providing support to victims and survivors, peacekeeping and conducting outreach and mentorship. Through this work, they help disrupt cycles of violence and promote safer outcomes following violent incidents.
The Healing Response is a brand-new service. The goal is to help provide public health resources and information to victims and their families.
Resources and Upcoming Events
Neighborhood Improvement Programs
- Neighborhood Clean-Up Assistance Program
- Graffiti Removal Program
- Neighborhood Leadership Program (NLP)
- I Dig Long Beach
- Whose Job Is It? (English) (Spanish) (Tagalog) (Khmer)
Go Long Beach App
The Go Long Beach App provides help with the following matters.
- Animal Care Services
- Graffiti
- Park & Public Property Maintenance
- Illegal Fireworks
- Streets, Sidewalks & Lights
- Trash, Debris & Dumped Items
- Trees, Vegetation & Irrigation
- Other
To learn more, please download the Go Long Beach App on your mobile device.
Report Graffiti to the Long Beach Police Department
The Long Beach Police Department offers three programs to address graffiti throughout the City. These programs include
- Free Paint Program:
This program provides property owners choosing to remove the graffiti themselves free paint to be used specifically for removing graffiti from building exteriors. - Graffiti Removal Program:
This program deploys a professional paint contractor to ensure paint match when necessary - Graffiti Hotline:
Use this hotline number to report "graffiti sightings" or request free paint.
Resource Line
The LB Resource Line is a hotline that supports anyone in Long Beach who needs help finding local, City, and community resources. Calls are answered Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. You can also submit your contact information through the Assistance Request Form.
