LONG BEACH – The Justice, Care and Opportunities Department (JCOD), in partnership with the nonprofit Holliday’s Helping Hands (HHH), will celebrate the ribbon cutting and grand opening of a 55-bed interim housing site in Long Beach to provide housing for justice-impacted women and families on Wednesday, September 4, at 11:00 a.m.

The brand-new facility, located on 834 Pacific Avenue in Long Beach, is part of JCOD’s Providing Opportunities for Women in Reentry (POWR) program. POWR provides women in reentry with safe housing, case management, mental health, employment and supportive services designed to restore and empower.

The opening of this facility provides housing for single women, trans women and women with children, a safe place to live and three meals a day. The site also offers some beds for men with children. Through POWR, residents can better focus on finding and maintaining employment, getting connected to physical and mental health services, participating in substance use treatment, reuniting with family, and securing a permanent housing solution

“This new facility represents a significant step forward in our efforts to provide comprehensive support to justice-involved women and creating a foundation for lasting change,” said JCOD Director Judge Songhai Armstead (Ret.). “I’m thankful for our partnership with Holliday’s Helping Hands and all their efforts. This collaboration is a testament to what we can achieve when we work together to support the most vulnerable members of our community.”

“When we say that our most important duty as a county is to be a safety net for our most vulnerable, we mean it and this site is putting that promise into action. Everyone who moves in here will be able to finally take a breath, focus less on where they and their children will sleep tonight, and more on what they need to rebuild their lives. And we’re going to give them every tool and resource they’ll need to accomplish that, all in one place,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn.

POWR housing residents stay in the facility for approximately nine months while receiving assistance to secure long-term housing. To ensure the success of the POWR housing in Long Beach, HHH formed an oversight committee focused on policy development, data gathering/analysis with future plans for community outreach and developing partnerships with community-based organizations in the Long Beach area.

“We are delighted to partner with JCOD to make the POWR program a success by providing safe housing for justice-impacted women and their children,” said Katina Holliday, HHH Founder and Executive Director. “Holliday’s Helping Hands has a long history of serving marginalized communities throughout the region including those facing homelessness and women who were formerly incarcerated. Our mission is transforming their lives through various programs and I’m proud to say that we have witnessed many of our clients become happy, productive members of society.”

“This new interim housing site, which provides 55 new beds for vulnerable women, children, and men with children is an important new resource here in Long Beach,” said Mayor Rex Richardson. “Thank you to the County of Los Angeles and Holliday’s Helping Hands for providing a safe home, group-based in-house programming, meals, transportation, and activities for children while assisting them to secure long-term housing.”

To learn more about JCOD and its programs visit jcod.lacounty.gov and to learn more about HHH and their services, visit hollidayshh.org.

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