A $790,000 fence recently installed around Long Beach’s main library is drawing renewed criticism from a group of residents who advise the city on homelessness policy.
In a letter sent last week, the Homeless Services Advisory Committee said the money could have been better spent sheltering people rather than driving their encampments away from the Billie Jean King Main Library at the heart of downtown.
“This amount of $800,000, if dedicated to services for homeless individuals, would shelter a minimum of 10 people for a year,” the committee wrote in a letter to the City Council and Mayor Rex Richardson.
Committee members have said they were caught off guard when the fence went up in March, and they’ve asked to be consulted on any similar projects in the future.
Volunteers on the committee are appointed by the mayor and council to advise them on homelessness, but, in this case, they’ve found themselves at odds.
City officials say the fence was a necessary step to restore the library’s ability to hold events on its outdoor terrace, which was often crowded with tents and people’s belongings. And despite its cost to install, it’s started to save the city money, according to city spokesperson Kat Schuster.
Before, the city had to power-wash around the library daily, but that’s no longer necessary, Schuster wrote in an email. She said that’s saved an estimated $70,000 this fiscal year.
There’s also been a drastic decline in encampments and a drop in the number of police and fire calls at the library, according to Schuster. Fewer people are also being kicked out of the library for rowdy or disruptive behavior, she added.
From April through July this year, only 28 people have been temporarily banned from the library compared to 67 during those same months last year.
In 2022, the library even had to shut down temporarily because of saftey concerns among staff. It reopened with increased security, but remained a drain on public safety resources.
“The decision to fence the Billie Jean King Main Library terrace restored the space to its intended purpose as a safe, welcoming area for children, families and library programming,” Mayor Richardson said in a statement.
Advisory committee members, however, worried the city could turn to this tactic more frequently.
“As the City of Long Beach prepares to host high profile events related to the LA 2028 Olympics, pressure will increase on city officials to address encampments of unsheltered individuals,” they wrote in their letter.
Meanwhile, homelessness continues to rise in Long Beach — up 3.7% this year — and the city is under pressure to cut its expenses to close a $58 million budget gap.
“These reductions are likely to have severe consequences for people experiencing homelessness, as more than 2,000 individuals are already living on the streets and in vehicles, and our city currently has an average five-month placement wait-time for those who request shelter,” the advisory committee wrote.