CityHeART: Stories of Starting Over

I first got involved with CityHeART in January '25 when I saw a post looking for volunteers, to sort and pack supplies for the LA fire victims. It was so rewarding. And I soon realized that CityHeART does so much more for our community. 

CityHeART is dedicated to supporting veterans, seniors, and families facing housing challenges through our unique blend of supplemental case management, care coordination, storytelling, and community art.

The CityHeART Resource Hub is a place where neighbors can access food, basic necessities, resource navigation, case management support, community connection, and someone who has time to listen. 

Case managers and frontline staff across Long Beach contact CityHeART multiple times each day for help finding resources, filling immediate gaps, and supporting people whose needs exceed what an already under-resourced frontline system can provide. 

For nearly a decade, CityHeART has quietly pioneered a unique and intentional way of showing up in community care, one that places peers and volunteers in thoughtful collaboration with case managers and frontline staff across housing, mental health, social services, and healthcare sectors. Additional info can be found on the website.

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About:

CityHeART operates a community Resource Hub in Long Beach, working alongside veterans, seniors, and families with children, many of whom are navigating a housing journey. We work alongside guests, case managers, and frontline staff to fill the gaps that can stall progress, whether that means groceries, laundry, resource navigation, wellness support, household essentials, or simply a consistent community to come back to.

At the heart of our mission is a story-centered approach. We invest in people’s stories by empowering them to name what they need, equipping them with practical resources and support, and engaging them as active members of their community.

What can happen inside one hour?

An hour at CityHeART is rarely just one thing happening.

Inside of a single 60 minutes:

• Groceries might arrive and immediately make their way to families,
• A guest might do a load of laundry while connecting with an intern about another need, 
• A case manager might stop by to coordinate support for someone on their caseload, 
• A veteran might connect with another veteran through our Veterans Homefront HeARTLine, 
• Someone might pick up emergency food, household essentials, clothing, or transportation support,
• A peer support group might be facilitated, and/or
• A neighbor navigating housing and/or trauma may share their story for the first time and experience the transformation of being heard.

Sometimes, all of those things are happening at once.

And because CityHeART is powered by donated goods, volunteer hours, professional partnerships, and community collaboration, every $1 donated is matched by approximately $4 in community time, talent, and treasure contributed in kind.

That turns every $1 donated into approximately $5 in community value.

When you protect an hour, you are not simply helping us keep a building open. You are protecting an hour in which an entire community can show up for one another.

This Long Beach Gives, I am helping CityHeART protect days in 2027.

$100 protects one hour and helps activate approximately $500 in community value.

$400 protects one full day and helps activate approximately $2,000 in community value.

$2,000 protects an entire week and helps activate approximately $10,000 in community value.

Our goal is to raise $25,000 to protect the first three months of CityHeART’s operating time in 2027.

Every gift protects more than time. It protects a place where resources can be shared, relationships can grow, gaps can be filled, and people can continue investing in one another’s stories.

Will you help me protect days at CityHeART?