By Dianne Anderson Food prices are keeping pace with the soaring cost of rent, making dinner out of reach for many families as they turn to nonprofits for help. But nonprofits are also searching for ways to feed the people, and they turn to Food Finders, which in 2019 rescued 12 million pounds, and in ...

By Dianne Anderson More people are open about domestic violence lately and sometimes there’s more action around policy, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to relax. Looking around Long Beach, the Women’s Shelter has seen a spike in demand for women with children trying to escape domestic violence, especially since COVID and the end of ...

The State of California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) has awarded the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) a $30.5 million grant to create more interim housing for people experiencing homelessness. Approximately $25.2 million will be utilized for building and modular acquisition, installation and improvements, and the remaining $5.3 million for ...

By Dianne Anderson Some of the goals that grew out of the police killing of George Floyd are bringing millions in funding to support housing and health, along with a recent budget infusion set to get Long Beach ready for careers. It’s time to get it while the getting is good. Eli Romero, Pacific Gateway ...

By Dianne Anderson Career pathways, self-care and mental wellness resources, cultural awareness and human relations are a few topics local teens will ponder, along with other grown-up questions on their to-do list, like how to get a good job with the city. The new Teen Academy is set to launch at each of the Long ...

By Dianne Anderson Collective voices that comprise 14 activist groups of the People Budget Conference rallied outside Long Beach City Hall last week, demanding equitable engagement for residents and voters to decide how their taxpayer dollars are spent. The People’s Budget Conference continues to press for community inclusion in this year’s $3.2 billion budget decision-making ...

By Dianne Anderson Duke Givens is talking trash again. So far, he’s collected close to 800,000 pounds of trash in the past two years, and the homeless have all done it by hand. It’s how he goes about his daily rounds at local parks, enticing the unhoused to help keep their areas clean by giving ...

By Dianne Anderson Ever since the last go-round of stimulus dollars, money has been flowing through multiple streams, and will continue over the next two years for those astute enough to grab at it. Jeff Williams, operations director for the Long Beach Center for Economic Inclusion (LBCEI), said that ARPA [American Rescue Plan Act] funding ...

By Dianne Anderson Having scaled the Primary hurdles, the top two vote-getter candidates are now facing off against their challengers in the next leg of their run toward the November General Election. Vice Mayor Rex Richardson — Mayor of Long Beach For Vice Mayor Rex Richardson, his primary win speaks to the spirit of unity ...

By Dianne Anderson Teens and youth are hitting the streets in a good way this summer honing their multimedia skills, and activating their storytelling abilities all while spotlighting what they feel are the best things going on in their own neighborhoods. “My Hood, My City” program is now reaching out for participation from Long Beach ...