Column by Paige Pelonis, CityHeART Art from Ashes Editor & Long Beach Homeless Coalition’s Allied Co-Chair
We have to try something. That’s what I’ve been dying to say, so I’m going to just start saying it. So many conversations I’ve had in the past several months about solving the housing crisis in our community has included some version of “that won’t work/it’s not good enough” coming from another, equally passionate advocate.
Well, if every idea, no matter how big or small, is stopped before we can even try it because the loudest voice in the room says it’s not good enough, we may as well stop trying anything at all.
This comes to mind as Long Beach is taking a serious look at installing all the City-owned Tiny Homes units on campus at Long Beach City College to be used as student housing. We shared this at the latest meeting of the Long Beach Homeless Coalition, and it was announced in a recent press release from the City Manager’s Office (see full release below) … and I’m already hearing the outcries that this is a bad decision because Tiny Homes as housing for students experiencing homelessness is not good enough. There are not enough units for all unhoused students, they are too small, and we have thousands of people on the streets not enrolled at LBCC who also need housing.
In my humble opinion, stopping progress by only looking at what won’t work or what won’t be good enough is a clearcut path to never solving anything. We have to start somewhere, we have to try something, and we have to accept that homelessness will not be “solved” with ONE good idea. It will take all of the good ideas to get it done.
Here’s my take on how we start to move from one giant, complex, unsolvable issue toward smaller chunks of this whole problem starting to be solved:
The Tiny Homes concept will absolutely not put an end to the housing crisis because the following is all true:
- Tiny Homes are not adequate as permanent housing options.
- There are not enough Tiny Homes in the City’s possession to offer temporary dwelling to the entire population of neighbors living without housing in Long Beach.
- If the City were to buy more Tiny Homes, time and money are required beyond that purchase to figure out where to put them and how to run them, and there probably isn’t enough room or open land in Long Beach to buy Tiny Homes for everyone without housing.
Okay, all of that is true; however, that does not mean that utilizing the Tiny Homes we do have to even temporarily shelter a fraction of the people in our city who do not have another housing option at the moment is a bad idea. It’s a super creative solution for students who are willing to temporarily live inside of one of the units while they to school and continue to navigate their long-term housing journey.
To the first point, Tiny Homes are not adequate as permanent housing options; well, neither is a college dorm! I lived in one for 4 years here in Long Beach, trust me, it’s not a permanent solution. But if I had been in a position to have to choose between the tiny CSULB dorms and my car or no place at all, I can tell you with confidence that I would have picked the dorm without a doubt.
To my knowledge, the City has 33 total units to make available, and right now … due to the delays in determining where to put them, they are empty. There are 33 neighbors who could be sleeping in doors. Is it perfect? Absolutely not — nothing is. Does housing 33 people temporarily in Tiny Homes solve the housing crisis? Absolutely not, it’s (like everyone keeps saying) a drop in the bucket. But it’s better than those 33 people continuing to sleep outside or in their cars while they wait for the longer-term door to open.
To the last point, there might not be a place for another large group of Tiny Homes to get installed all at once together, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get creative once again and find a way to put smaller sets of Tiny Homes all over the City without overwhelming any one neighborhood. More on this later — I’ve got some ideas!
I’m so glad that the City looked to the LBCC campus for these units because it seems like a super creative idea to avoid the ongoing and ever-present community backlash of trying to put them all in one chunk of land elsewhere. That, and students absolutely deserve the opportunity to access stable and supportive housing so that they can focus on achieving their goals tomorrow rather than on where they will sleep tonight.
I would love to see our City continue to get creative about incorporating bits and pieces of solutions instead of getting swallowed up by time-sucking efforts to try to solve the giant, complex issues of housing and homelessness all in one piece.
A drop in the bucket may seem insignificant, but LOTS of drops in the bucket can make a splash.
— Paige Pelonis
The information about this movement to install the Tiny Homes at LBCC is below. I would love to know your thoughts on the subject … and I hope your thoughts are bigger and more solutions-focused than the counterproductive argument of “it’s not enough.”
City of Long Beach Explores Opportunity to House Students Experiencing Homelessness Through Tiny Homes
Press Release By Alvin Teng Manager, Homeless Strategy and Partnerships Office
Office of the City Manager
The City of Long Beach announced today that it is shifting the focus of its Tiny Homes project toward housing students experiencing homelessness. The City and Long Beach City College (LBCC) are discussing possible collaborative efforts that could provide needed shelter for some LBCC students.
“It’s absolutely critical that we continue to support young people in our city, as they will be the ones that shape the future of Long Beach,” said Mayor Rex Richardson. “We are having meaningful conversations with our partners at LBCC, to see how collectively we can provide some housing security for students experiencing homelessness, so that they can better focus on their education and career paths. In the long run, this helps support our entire community.”
Discussions with LBCC are in the early stages and a location for the Tiny Homes has yet to be finalized. The potential innovative partnership would help the City locate a viable space for Tiny Homes, assist LBCC in providing an additional pathway to housing stability for students and make a direct positive impact on the lives of LBCC students who are experiencing homelessness.
For the past several months the City had been considering the City property at the corner of California Avenue and E Springs Street, a parcel (Parcel B) connected to Willow Springs Park, as a possible location for a Tiny Homes campus. However, due to high costs related to installing utilities at the site as well as costs related to clean up due to previous uses of the site, the City is no longer considering this as a feasible option.
Instead, City staff is making a recommendation to City Council that the 46.24-acre Parcel A of Willow Springs Park be officially dedicated as park space in perpetuity. Related, the City is also recommending the future dedication of the 1.8-acre northwest corner of the park (Parcel B) as park space as soon as the City establishes a land bank for park space pursuant to the City Charter. Further, the FY25 Proposed Budget being considered by City Council proposes $1 million to support a transformative restoration project, called the Willow Springs Trailhead Project.
“It was important that we explored the different possible uses for Parcel B in support of our community,” said Fifth District Councilwoman Megan Kerr. “As we all know, when one door closes, another opens. As the Tiny Homes project takes a new direction, I am excited at the prospect of Willow Springs Park’s long-awaited dedication as official park space in perpetuity, as well as the potential for some well-deserved upgrades that the entire community can enjoy.”
The City’s Tiny Homes, which would be deployed to a new agreed-upon location if an agreement is considered and reached between the City and LBCC, will be single occupancy modular units that are approximately 100 square feet, each containing a bed, personal bathroom and shower, lighting, electrical outlets, personal HVAC and storage. They will also include a fire suppression system. Both standard and ADA-accessible units will be available. The City and LBCC will collaborate to ensure appropriate amenities, supervision and supportive services are provided to students experiencing homelessness, including transition into permanent housing opportunities.
Funding for this effort stems from the Homekey Program Round 2 Grant, which was awarded to the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) by The State of California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) in August 2022.
If any official decisions are being contemplated by the City and LBCC, they would be heard by the Long Beach City Council and Long Beach City College Board of Trustees respectively during open session, allowing for public participation.
Tiny Homes are just one small part of the overall strategy to increase shelter space in Long Beach. In the past four years, 457 new emergency shelter or interim housing beds have either been completed or under construction just by the City alone, not to mention partnerships with the County and non-profits. All told, Long Beach has over 1,200 shelter beds in our system through the City’s Continuum of Care partnerships.