The Long Beach City Council on Tuesday approved an $8.6 million contract to renovate one of its four homeless shelters, a project that will expand the year-round facility at 702 W. Anaheim St. from 85 beds to 126 to meet persistently high demand.
Since buying the 106-year-old building from the Long Beach Rescue Mission for $7.2 million in 2023, the city has made only $399,000 worth of repairs to its roof. Renovations under this contract will bring major changes, including to the facility’s layout, as well as the installation of an HVAC system (the building only has a heater), using a $500,000 state grant and $400,000 from the Port earmarked for energy efficiency.
Crews will install 16 showers — 10 for men, six for women — to replace the temporary trailers long used in the back lot. In the sleeping area, currently an open space with lines of cots, they will install dividers between beds for privacy and put up partitions for areas meant for couples or those needing gender-affirming privacy. They will also build out a new family room and multipurpose lounge, as well as new entrance ramps into the building and a reconfigured parking lot…