While families who are homeless receive the supportive services they need at Long Beach’s Multi-Service Center, children now have a new space to play and learn while they wait – thanks to city and community partners.
The space has a nature-inspired theme, with felt leaves hanging from the ceiling, and multiple shelves filled with books and toys for all ages.
City leaders celebrated the newly renovated Kids’ Corner at the Multi-Service Center on Tuesday, March 18, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“We’re excited to reopen our MSC Kids’ Corner,” said Mayor Rex Richardson. “It’s a special place designed just for children. Kids need their own space to be able to be kids while we take on some very heavy-duty topics about transforming lives and getting their families on the right trajectory.”
In partnership with Leadership Long Beach and design firm Gensler, the enhanced space features updated reading areas, interactive learning toys and a welcoming environment designed to inspire creativity and learning for children of all ages.
“As part of our class project, we identified the kids’ corner in the Multi-Service Center as a place where we could make positive and lasting impacts,” said Alejandra Albarran Moses, manager of the early childhood strategic initiative program at the Health and Human Services Department and a Leadership Long Beach participant.
1 of 9
Expand
“We know that many of the children who visit this space are under the age of 5, and it is during these first five years that a child’s brain develops the fastest, leading to the most critical time in their development,” Moses added. “For these reasons, we knew that we wanted the kids’ corner space to be a space where it was not only visually appealing but also ensured to provide comfort, engagement and developmental benefits to the young visitors.”
As the community learned about the initiative, enthusiasm grew and resulted in generous contributions to every item in the renovated space, Moses said.
The renovation is also part of Long Beach’s ongoing commitment to providing accessible and engaging resources for children while their families receive services from the MSC, officials said.
“This is part of my district in Long Beach, and we’re very proud of this center here because it offers a lot of good services for the community and now we’re adding children,” said Vice Mayor and Seventh District Councilmember Roberto Uranga. “It’s an opportunity for them to stay busy, learn, experiment, share and socialize, and so they can know that when they grow up, they’ve made special connections, not only with the other kids that are going to be here but also with the staff.”
The Multi-Service Center, 1301 W. 12th St., offers resources such as case management, homeless prevention, medical services, employment assistance, mental health support and more to those in the community who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. On an average day, the center sees anywhere from 150 to 250 people, said Paul Duncan, manager of the city’s Homeless Services Bureau.
“It is a very heavily utilized space, we are excited to be able to add to our ability to make this a welcoming and friendly space for people who are coming in,” Duncan said. “Primarily we are seeing single adults here at the Multi-Service Center, however, we do have families coming in.
“Being able to add this vital space here to the MSC, will allow parents to focus on what might be one of the more difficult times in their lives and not having to worry about their kids,” Duncan added. “Now they have a space where they can go and be a kid.”
Originally Published: March 18, 2025 at 4:14 PM PDT
发表回复