Community Tours

Wednesday, March 6 from 1:00 p.m.- 5:00 p.m.

These community tours are an opportunity to have a first-hand look at some innovative approaches to housing development and tenant organizing in the Long Beach area. This is a great way to kick off your conference experience by immersing yourself in the affordable housing work that is taking place in our host city. Additional Tours will be announced in the coming weeks! Tours are an optional add-on to the conference with a separate ticket.

Tour 1: Creating Collective Impact – the Villages at Cabrillo

Bus Tour- Capacity is 45 people

Join us for a bus tour to Century Villages at Cabrillo. The site began as a former naval base and in 1997 Century worked with the City of Long Beach, nonprofit partners, and government agencies to redevelop 27 acres of this land into a comprehensive community benefiting people experiencing homelessness. Today, Century Villages at Cabrillo is a vibrant community and home to over 1,500 Veterans, families, and individuals. With a dozen co-located partners and 30 ad hoc partners, the Villages uses the Collective Impact framework to move residents from homelessness to self-sufficiency and stability so they may thrive. Purchase your tickets here.

Tour 2: Revitalizing the Long Beach Blvd Corridor With Housing, Services, and Transit

Transit Tour-Capacity is 30 people

On this tour we will travel by Metro to three recent LIHTC developments located within a single mile along Long Beach Blvd and Metro A-Line. These developments are part of an effort to revitalize a major transit corridor, activating it with housing and community serving uses. We will start at Linc Housing’s Spark at Midtown, a transformative community development which incorporates affordable housing, permanent supportive housing, a parklet, community kitchen, youth center, and health clinic. We will also stop by Amcal’s Las Ventanas project and Century Village’s Beacon Apartments. Please note: This tour will include walking 5-10 minutes to the Metro line and between developments. Purchase your tickets here.

Tour 3: From Mass-Based Outreach to Tenant Power: The LiBRE Story

Bus Tour- Capacity is 30 people

Join Long Beach Residents Empowered to learn about their advocacy alongside tenants to secure stronger tenant protections and create innovative approaches to community organizing. The bus tour spans historically disinvested neighborhoods in Long Beach and offers a closer look at how individual fights to stay housed during the pandemic sparked the formation of tenant unions across the city. As local communities grapple with how to recover from the pandemic and the mass investments that loom ahead in the coming years, LiBRE and residents are working to create more spaces where tenants can effectively organize around the policies needed to ensure renters and their families are not displaced from their homes. Purchase your tickets here.

Tour 4: Community-led Visioning and Development in Central Long Beach

Bus Tour- Capacity is 30-45 people

In 2019, the City of Long Beach began an ambitious plan to rezone the Anaheim Street corridor, known as the “Zone In: City Core” project. The project seeks to update zoning regulations, design standards, incentives, and other policies to increase housing development that is tailored to the needs of the densely populated and culturally diverse communities living in the area. The Cambodia Town Thrives collaborative joined the project to ensure the voices of low-income Cambodian and Latinx community members were included in the plan. The collective of several community-based organizations conducted direct outreach and surveys, organized a leadership academy to teach people about urban planning and community organizing, and supported the leadership of an advisory council made up of residents living in the corridor to shape the City’s zoning update. This tour will highlight the community stories and assets that exist along the Anaheim corridor and the vibrant opportunities that exist for community-led planning and development. Purchase your tickets here.

Tour 5: Community Revitalization in Los Angeles: Jordan Downs Redevelopment Project

Bus Tour- Capacity is 30- 40 people

Jordan Downs consists of approximately 700 units on 50 acres of land in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. It was originally built in the 1940’s as housing for workers during World War ll and was converted to public housing in the 1950s. By the late 1990s, the aging buildings were suffering from significant capital investment needs. In response, HACLA launched a planning effort for the redevelopment of Jordan Downs the late 2000’s. HACLA is now in the process of revitalizing the Jordan Downs community working together with development partners Bridge Housing and The Michaels Organization. When completed, the community will have approximately 1,683 new affordable and market rate housing units as well as homeownership opportunities. The overall plan for Jordan Downs includes both rental housing and ownership opportunities, a 115,000 square foot neighborhood retail center, 45,000 square feet of ground floor commercial and amenity spaces, a large community center, and nine acres of new parks running through the center of the community. The development also involves building all new roads and infrastructure, including the new Century Boulevard, which opened in 2018. HACLA has undertaken a holistic approach to community revitalization in Jordan Downs while ensuring no displacement of the existing community and a commitment to creating new opportunities for families by providing additional affordable housing. HACLA committed to a “Build First” strategy for the redevelopment of Jordan Downs, which means that new housing units are built for current residents to move into before the older buildings are removed. The redevelopment process is proceeding in phases over several years, which allows for HACLA and its partners to maximize the use of available funding sources while minimizing disruption to residents. Currently the redevelopment is 50% complete. Purchase your tickets here.

Tour 6: Community College Student Housing Tour

Bus Tour- Capacity is 30-45 people

The California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the nation with more than 1.8 million students across 73 districts and 116 colleges. In the 2019 #RealCollege Survey report found that nearly 60% of community college students experienced housing insecurity and 19% were homeless. The 2021 Higher Education Student Housing Grant Program aimed to provide $2 billion for affordable, low-cost housing options for public postsecondary students in California. Join a Southern California Tour of various student housing facilities at Long Beach, Cerritos and Orange Coast Community College Districts. The tour will show the different funding mechanisms, public private partnerships, along with their current and future student housing plans. The last stop on the tour in North Long Beach will include a brief panel community college housing panel with local leaders. Purchase your tickets here.

Tour FAQs

Q: Do I need to purchase tour tickets in advance?
A: Yes, space is limited on each tour. We encourage you to purchase your tickets in advance.

Q: How do I register for a tour?
A: Click Here to purchase a tour ticket.
Q: What is the timing of the tours?
A: Tours will take place Wednesday, March 6. Tour participants should plan to meet the group, near conference registration at the Long Beach Convention Center by 12:30 pm. All tours will depart at 1:00 pm and return by 5:00 pm.
Q: Will the tours provide lunch?
A: Lunch will not be provided, but attendees will be provided light snacks and water on each tour, participants should plan to have lunch before the tour begins.

Q: Will the tours involve walking?
A: Tour 1 and 3 are both bus tours, and will only require some walking getting to and from the bus and tour site(s). Tour 2 will involve transportation by Metro line and will require some walking. Participants of all tours should plan to wear comfortable shoes.