LOCKED OUT
Homelessness in Long Beach
There has never been a time when more public money is being invested in trying to get people off the streets. Yet the number of unhoused individuals in Long Beach rose by a startling 62% in the last two years. Why has it been so hard to get people into permanent housing?

A mother’s quest to save her homeless son from mental illness is met with a system in crisis
With soaring mental illness among unhoused people, Long Beach is scrambling to bolster a mental health system falling far short of the moment.

Behind the scenes of our investigation ‘Locked Out: Homeless in Long Beach’
Over the last several months, the Long Beach Post has been investigating why our city and so many others across the state seem unable to solve the problem of homelessness despite a record influx of money.
As money flowed in, numbers rose over the last two years
There are 3,296 homeless individuals in the city, an increase of 62%.
The number of people living in encampments or on the street rose 22%.
The number of people living in a vehicle rose by 380%.
The number of Homeless Services Bureau staff increased from 25 to 80.
The city’s budget for homeless services went from $10 million to nearly $80 million.
Long Beach has received $81 million in recovery act funds to prevent homelessness.
About this project
“Locked Out: Homelessness in Long Beach” is an ongoing project by the Long Beach Post. The series will explore this critical issue through in-depth reporting, interactive graphics, videos, photos—and most importantly through the experiences of people in our city.
If you have a news tip, or would like to see a particular issue explored, please email Executive Editor Melissa Evans at [email protected].

PODCAST
Jeff Levine of the LB Rescue Mission: Addressing homelessness means handling childhood trauma
NOVEMBER 15, 2022. | 26:29 | S3:E3
LONG BEACH POST 2023 INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING FUND
Investigations like this rely on your support. Here’s how you can help.
Help us bring context and take you inside the complexities of the issues and stories no other newsroom in our city can cover. Donate to the tax-exempt Long Beach Post 2023 Investigative Reporting Fund to make our coverage stronger.