City of Long Beach officials held a ribbon‑cutting ceremony to open a 78‑unit interim shelter at 5950 in North Long Beach, a property city leaders said had been a longstanding neighborhood nuisance and has been renovated to provide temporary housing and services.

Mayor Rex Richardson said the conversion is part of a broader effort to expand shelter capacity in the city. "It transformed a blight on the community into an asset in our community," he said, and noted the city has added more shelter capacity in recent years, including Homekey sites and a youth navigation center.

The councilwoman representing the Eighth District and chair of the Housing and Public Health Committee described the project as a partnership between state Project RoomKey resources and city efforts, and said the 78 upgraded rooms include 12 accessible units designed to provide residents with privacy and dignity. "This won't just be a roof over someone's head. It'll be a first safe night of sleeping outside of the streets maybe in months for some," she said.

Paul Duncan, manager in the Health and Human Services Department, said the site will prioritize people in the immediate area, including those near the LA Riverbed, and that nonprofit provider First to Serve will operate on‑site. Staff are assembling operations now with a goal of beginning intake "mid next month." Duncan said residents will be offered case management, connections to health and mental health services, employment support, three meals a day and the ability to bring pets and personal items.

Joshua Hickman, acting director for Public Works, said the conversion also enabled infrastructure work at nearby Pump Station 11, which was revitalized to support the storm drain system. Hickman announced an upcoming groundbreaking for a greenbelt at 50 First Street and recognized the cross‑city construction and management teams involved in the project.

City leaders framed the opening as one component of a multi‑part strategy. Richardson said shelter expansion followed a declaration of a local emergency on homelessness and that the city has increased shelter capacity by about 84% since that declaration; he also said street‑level homelessness has dropped approximately 17% since the emergency was declared. Officials emphasized that the interim shelter is not permanent housing but a place to stabilize residents while staff work to connect them to longer‑term options.

Tours of the facility were offered after the ceremony. No formal vote or legislative action was recorded at the event.