PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA - Today, the City of Long Beach opened another temporary shelter at Martin Luther King Jr. Park (King Park), located at 1950 Lemon Ave., as part of its ongoing efforts to provide additional shelter to those most vulnerable during the COVID-19 public health crisis.

“We are very proud to open this additional shelter to provide a safe place for some of the most vulnerable members of our community,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “We look forward to continuing to open more shelters to help as many as we can.”

The King Park facility is one of several temporary shelters to open by the City, and will shelter approximately 70 additional people, with appropriate social distancing space between each bed. The facility will also provide showers, meals, snacks, recreation with social distancing, and additional social service resources that support long term housing.

Similar to the Silverado Park shelter, individuals will be urged to follow the shelter in place model to maximize safety for shelter residents. In order to receive services, individuals must first visit the Multi-Service Center, located at 1301 W. 12th St., to complete the shelter assessment and mandatory health screening. After the health screening is completed, individuals will be shuttled to the shelter location.

Shelter beds are currently being prioritized for seniors and individuals with underlying health conditions. In addition to the temporary shelters, the City is working closely with various city and county partners to provide additional resources to persons experiencing homelessness during this challenging time.

Funding for the shelters is provided by the State of California’s emergency aid to local governments, issued by Governor Newsom specifically to protect Californians experiencing homelessness. Like all City shelters, the King Park shelter is operated by City staff, volunteers, and staff from nonprofit providers. The City continues to partner with other shelter-providing agencies to implement additional shelter locations.

For the latest information on COVID-19, with details on all that the City of Long Beach is doing to keep our residents safe, visit: longbeach.gov/COVID19 and follow @LongBeachCity on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.