Long Beach : Council OKs Formation of Agency for Homeless Center

The City Council this week gave its blessing to creation of a nonprofit corporation that would run a yet-to-be-established center for the homeless in Long Beach.

The move was more symbolic than anything else, however, since center proponents are still searching for funding, for a building to locate the center in, and for a private agency willing to form the nonprofit corporation.

“It’s something we very much want to do, but it’s a hard time right now,” said Sheila Pagnani, the city’s homeless coordinator.

With every level of government from the state to the city in financial straits, the search for funding is a difficult one.

The center, which could cost as much as $1 million to open, would provide temporary housing for the homeless as well as job and counseling services designed to keep them off the streets.

In a related matter, an appeal for donations to the mayor’s recently established Fund for the Homeless has so far brought in about $20,000. The request for contributions was mailed out in city utility bills, prompting donations ranging from a dollar to more than $200.

“We’re surprised at the results,” Pagnani remarked, adding that the most poignant contribution was “a sort of crumpled-up dollar bill with a note that said, ‘I wish I could give more, but I’m on a fixed income.’ ”

The money will be spent at the discretion of the city’s Homeless Services Advisory Committee.