On March 9, 2022, Mercy Housing California joined the City of Long Beach, Long Beach Development Services, Bank of America, and the Office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn in celebrating the groundbreaking of Long Beach Senior, a new 68-home affordable community for seniors. Slated for completion in the Fall of 2023, Long Beach Senior will soon bring four stories of architecturally striking apartment homes, onsite wraparound services for residents, and 4,000 square feet of neighborhood-serving ground-floor commercial space to beautiful central Long Beach.

“Escalating rents are creating an enormous burden for seniors in Long Beach, and we were able to act with urgency thanks to the collaboration of our partners,” said Ed Holder, Vice President for Real Estate Development at Mercy Housing California. “Long Beach Senior will provide residents with the opportunity to age with dignity, in good health, in a supportive community.”

Long Beach Senior will provide affordable homes to seniors, aged 55 and over, with limited incomes, as well as permanent supportive homes to seniors and senior veterans who have experienced homelessness. There will be 67 apartments with rents ranging from $554 to $1,222 per month, as well as one onsite management unit.

“This groundbreaking represents our city’s strong commitment to creating and preserving affordable housing options for all residents of our community,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “The Long Beach Senior project is another great development that will provide 67 permanent homes and services to help ensure the security, dignity, and well-being of our older adults and senior veterans.”

“With the rising cost of housing, too many seniors find themselves on the brink of homelessness in their golden years,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “The veterans and seniors who move into these new apartments aren’t just going to have an affordable place to live, they will have a community where they can thrive and enjoy themselves.”

“Bank of America Community Development Banking is pleased to work with Mercy Housing California to help create much-needed affordable housing for seniors and senior veterans who have experienced homelessness in Long Beach,” said Garrett Gin, Market Executive for Greater Los Angeles at Bank of America. “Long Beach Senior is a great example of the impact that public-private partnerships can make to support the communities where we work and live.”

Long Beach Senior was designed by Studio One Eleven, a local architecture, landscape, and urban design firm dedicated to repairing cities, whose renderings of the community can be viewed here. Mercy Housing California will also invite neighbors and other community members to participate in a robust design process to develop public art elements for the building that reflect the rich history of the neighborhood.

Mercy Housing California was awarded the parcel located at 924-945 E. Pacific Coast Highway by the City of Long Beach through a City-initiated process. During the proposal process for the City-owned parcel, Mercy Housing reached an agreement with the adjacent property owner in order to purchase the site (901 – 917 E PCH) to the west, enabling the organization to propose a larger development spanning the two sites (901-945 E. PCH). Long Beach Senior will be Mercy Housing California’s first community in Long Beach.

Mercy Housing California’s services team, one full-time Resident Services Coordinator and one part-time Activity Coordinator, will offer programming throughout the day in the areas of health and wellness, financial literacy, art, and cooking, as well as other activities developed with the seniors living at Long Beach Senior. The Resident Services Coordinator will also connect residents with organizations and additional services throughout the Long Beach community. The lease-up process is anticipated to begin in early 2023 for a scheduled move-in period of Fall 2023.

This project is made possible with the generous support of the City of Long Beach, Bank of America, the Housing Authority of the City of Long Beach, the Los Angeles County Development Authority, and the California Department of Housing and Community Development.

For more information about the plans for Long Beach Senior, visit www.longbeachsenior.org.