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Long Beach receives 4-year update on youth strategic plan; youth presenters call for housing, crisis response and mentorship
Summary
City staff and youth leaders presented a 4-year update on the Youth and Emerging Adult Strategic Plan. The council received and filed the update. Youth speakers highlighted Measure US participatory budgeting investments, urged expanded crisis-response teams, youth-led spaces and affordable housing for seniors and young adults.
The Long Beach City Council on May 13 received and filed a four-year update on the Youth and Emerging Adult Strategic Plan and heard testimony from youth advisory council members who urged expanded crisis response, mentoring and housing supports.
Office of Youth Development staff and young leaders highlighted recent investments made through Measure US and the Youth Power participatory budgeting process and outlined programs intended to reconnect opportunity youth to education and employment.
"Listen to us. Not only just invest in us, but get to know us and understand why we are the way we are," said Edrick Salgado, a member of the Youth Advisory Council who described growing up homeless and losing a brother to suicide. "When you invest in youth, you're not just shaping our future. You're shaping the future of Long Beach."
Key program and funding details presented: - The Office of Youth Development said its FY24 participatory budgeting cycle dispersed $400,000 in Measure US funds for youth programming; staff reported that over the four-year program a total of about $1,250,000 from Measure US has been distributed to more than 82 youth nonprofits and 27 funded projects since the program began. - Staff reported that the FY25 Youth Fund cycle supported projects across housing, transportation, youth health, workforce development and community care; presenters said the FY25 youth fund investments near $550,000 for youth-led projects. - Office staffing includes four full‑time staff, three youth fellows and two youth interns working on youth engagement, participatory budgeting and re-engagement initiatives.
Youth speakers described programs they helped design and implement, including an annual Youth Week summit, a citywide youth participatory budgeting process (Youth Power PB), and the Futures First Opportunity Youth Initiative that aims to reconnect 16- to 24-year-olds to school or work. Several youth urged expansion of community crisis response teams and strengthened mental-health training for first responders.
Council members praised the youth presenters and asked staff for details about partnering with external entities such as Long Beach Transit, the school district and community colleges to reach young people not connected to school or work. Staff said the office will continue to convene city departments and nonprofit partners and that a public dashboard (longbeach.gov/youth) will show progress on the plan’s 72 proposed activities.
The council vote to receive and file the update carried.
