Long Beach is a network of local residents, community based organizations, and health providers that support community engagement and involvement for a healthy, safe, and thriving Central and West Long Beach. The community reflects a rich culture and historical diversity that includes 90,000 residents of Latino, Filipino, African-American, and Cambodian heritage.
Building Healthy Communities Long Beach (BHC Long Beach) works with over forty different community-based organizations and local organizers to make health happen here through parent engagement in schools, urban agriculture, affordable housing, youth organizing, environmental justice, and violence prevention.
Additionally, BHC Long Beach utilizes time banking in coordination with The Long Beach Time Exchange (LBTE) to connect residents and build engagement within our community. Members use time instead of money to exchange skills and services and in the process of completing time exchanges, members learn new skills, uncover their gifts, make new friends, and work toward a more connected Long Beach.
QUICK FACTS
- The West and Central Long Beach target area includes 90,000 residents of Latino, Filipino, African-American, and Cambodian descent. Languages spoken include Spanish, Khmer, and Tagalog.
- Cambodia Town in Central Long Beach is home to nearly 18,000 Cambodian residents, representing the largest concentration of Cambodians outside of Cambodia.
- Schools, homes, and community gardens in West Long Beach are directly adjacent to the Port of Long Beach (the 2nd busiest port in the Nation) and the I-710 Freeway, resulting in poor air quality from ships and trucks and high rates of asthma in children.
- Long Beach Unified School District is the 3rd largest school district in California with a total enrollment of 82,256 students.
- 25.7 percent of full-time workers in Long Beach live in “working poverty,” meaning they work full-time and still live below the federal poverty level.
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FOCUS AREAS
Parent Engagement in Student Success: Through the Schools Workgroup, organizers are educating parents to be leaders in their schools and empowering them with the tools needed to be an active participant in student success. Workshops on School Site Councils and student achievement are examples of how parents are learning to get engaged with their child’s educational system.
Youth Organizing and Empowerment: The Youth Committee works to reform school discipline and educate peers on issues important to students. In their “Every Student Matters” campaign, youth learn to organize for restorative justice through the School Board and the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP).
Community Environmental Health: The air quality in Long Beach impacts the community on a daily basis due to the activity of the Port and the thousands of trucks that drive the 710 Freeway and Pacific Coast Highway. The Environmental Health Workgroup improves environmental health by educating residents about air pollution, building sustainable energy systems, and seeking policy changes to protect the community.
Mobility and Open Community Space: From closing streets and freeways for park space or promoting more pop-up markets for fresh food, organizations in the Neighborhoods workgroup are seeking solutions to make Central Long Beach a more livable place. Finding opportunities for joint-use agreements with the community, City government, and School District help expand open space for children to play in safe environments.
Civic Engagement and Resident Capacity: Coalitions and youth organizations in Long Beach work to promote a culture of civic engagement through voter registration, “Get Out The Vote” efforts, and more. Various programs and trainings also focus on building resident capacity, such as the Boards and Commissions trainings and the Leaders in Organizing workshops.