Food & Basic Necessities for Families

Housing and Homelessness

South Bay

Expand existing project, program, or initiative

According to the 2022 point-in-time homelessness survey, Long Beach's homeless population increased 62% over the last two years. Many homeless and low-income individuals struggled to make ends meet during the pandemic. Children under 18 were 8% of the count, and seniors over 62 were 13%. Women comprised 30% of the homeless population. People of color were the largest racial/ethnic group identified in the count. These statistics demonstrate that people of color, women, children and seniors are most affected by inflation, unemployment and a severe lack of affordable housing in Long Beach. The Long Beach Unified School District is home to over 3,000 unhoused students, three times the average national homeless student population. 100% of those COA serves are low-income. 80% identify as persons of color.

COA provides hunger relief programs and basic necessities to families in Long Beach: Hot Meal Program - COA serves more than 175,000 hot meals annually, reaching an estimated 14,000 low-income individuals in Long Beach. We are proud to be the only organization in Long Beach to serve hot meals 7-days-a-week. Since 2022, COA has been collaborating with Healthcare in Action to provide street outreach to homeless individuals in Long Beach. COA provides meals, hygiene kits with masks, sanitizer, and other hygiene products. Food Bank - Five days a week, COA operates a food bank. COA reaches an estimated 9,000 individuals through this program. COA offers a farmer's market-style service where families can pick the foods they want to take home. Families bring their own bags and fill them with the foods they most need. Since many families struggle to purchase food for their pets, COA provides pet food as well. Being able to provide food for their loved ones is a vital step in feeling empowered to take control of all other aspects of one's life. COA operates a Diaper Bank on Fridays for up to 200 families every week. COA distributes baby food as part of the diaper program. Many mothers in need are forced to choose between purchasing diapers and providing food and shelter for their families. With this program, COA attempts to address the lack of diapers, which has been linked to maternal depression. Other programs include Senior Days, Clothing Bank, and Community Events.

COA continues to address the high need for hot meals and food. Programs are geared toward keeping at-risk families intact, working and independent in order to avoid becoming homeless, improving the quality of life for low-income families to give them hope and strength and helping homeless people regain their independence, permanent housing and self-sufficiency and ultimately meet their immediate needs. Low-income families rely on COA for hot meals and food, which allows them to redirect their income to pay for rent, transportation and other living expenses. By increasing food security, the likelihood of homelessness is considerably reduced. With access to healthy food, children will be less likely to develop health conditions such as anemia or obesity. Seniors will benefit from COA's food programs by not having to choose between needed healthcare and food, reducing their chances of experiencing poor nutrition, housing instability and social isolation.

COA's annual objectives are to: - Rescue and redistributes more than $600,000 worth of food and products to those in need. - Provide 175,000 hot meals to approximately 14,000 low-income individuals. - Supply 60,000 bags of groceries and produce for low-income families. - Serve 4,600 families through the diaper bank. COA tracks the number of meals provided every day; groceries and food distributed through the food bank, and clothing, diapers and furniture given to individuals and families. COA tracks participation numbers for all programs every year. A few surveys are administered to constituents to track our objectives. COA also tracks the in-kind donations received yearly to estimate the amount of food rescued and diverted from landfills. Survey results and output data are monitored throughout the year. If necessary, changes are made to programs to ensure COA is meeting the needs of the community.