Photos by Michael Garcia.
Mayor Robert Garcia, mental health advocate Metta World Peace and members of Mental Health America of Los Angeles (MHA) celebrated the start of construction of the new Integrated Wellness Center during a groundbreaking ceremony Friday morning.
The former warehouse will be completely rebuilt and will be offering mental and physical rehabilitation services for Long Beach residents and homeless people in need. The center will offer health assessments, skill-building classes, links to community resources and recovery groups.
“The city made a significant investment in this site, the city put about $6 million toward this facility,” Garcia said during the ceremony. “The last couple years have signaled a change in Long Beach in the way that we support folks with mental illness and folks that need help.”
He thanked Councilmember Dee Andrews for his efforts in supporting Measure H to fight homelessness in Long Beach and the rest of Los Angeles County.
“I hope all of us will continue to advocate for more facilities like this,” Garcia added.
Long Beach Councilman Dee Andrews said people must have compassion and thanked the community for coming out to support the project. MHA’s CEO David Pilon thanked the community as well and said this project could not have happened without their support.
“Thank you for the love you have shown the people we serve,” Pilon said. “You are all an inspiration and make me proud to be a member of this community.”
The new site construction, projected to be completed by September 2018, is a collaboration between private, city and nonprofit entities and will introduce a new sidewalk cafe and community meeting space, in addition to the wellness center.
MHA promotes mental health recovery for adults, young people and those that are homeless suffering from mental illness in the Long Beach community. For more information visit the website here.
The mental health center will be located at 1955 Long Beach Boulevard.
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