Feeding the Homeless for the Holidays

By: Fernando Romero, Beachcomber - 11/24/06


Rescue Mission to offer shelter.
Group takes on task of housing homeless in winter for first time.
By Tracy Manzer, Staff writer - 11/24/2006

LONG BEACH - The Long Beach Rescue Mission will run the area winter homeless shelter for the first time this year, stepping up to the plate for a job that few - if any - wanted. The shelter will be located at 1500 E. Anaheim St. in a building recently acquired by the city's Redevelopment Agency. It is expected to open next month and run through early March.

The Rescue Mission took over the area shelter program after New Image Shelter, run by Brenda Wilson and Lynda Moran, returned its contract to the regional Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, citing increasing strife over choosing shelter locations in the city.

Picking a suitable location for the winter shelter became increasingly difficult over the past few years, with residents and businesses complaining about problems with nuisance issues and petty crimes increasing in areas where the shelters were run.

Jim Lewis, the recently appointed CEO of the Long Beach Rescue Mission, said he came to the area with the goal of getting the Rescue Mission more involved in community efforts. He decided to take a look at running the winter shelter after several people asked him if the Rescue Mission could pick up where New Image left off.

know it's a county program, but as I told the coalition and the city, I would not (run the shelter) without law enforcement and the city's approval," Lewis said. Lewis worked closely with Susan Price, the city's homeless services officer, and Corinne Schneider, manager of the city's Human & Social Services Bureau to make sure the city supported having a shelter, as well as to determine the best locations for such an operation.

After two buildings were identified a possible sites in Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal's 2nd District, the councilwoman offered her assistance as well, Lewis and Price said.

The final choice was the former Community Rehabilitation Industries building at 1500 E. Anaheim St., near MacArthur Park.

"Suja Lowenthal was very gracious," said Jesse Krohmer, a Rescue Mission spokesman. "She gave us a lot of her time and I think she understood how important it is for the city to have a shelter in an area that has the least amount of impact on residents (and businesses)."

Don Knabe, the 4th District Los Angeles County Supervisor, pitched in as well, getting the county's housing agency to extend a typically iron-clad deadline for applications for shelter contracts. The extra time was critical for the Rescue Mission to find a suitable location and to meet with city and law enforcement officials to ensure everyone was in agreement on the location, Lewis said.

Even with the extended deadline, the Rescue Mission staff have had to scramble to get everything in order for the opening of the shelter.

Lewis and his staff have been left to build a small village - including contracting for transportation, providing emergency lighting and power, brining in portable showers and setting up kitchen facilities - from scratch.

Another hitch in the schedule came with the city's recent take-over of the shelter site - which was recently purchased with Redevelopment funds, city officials said.

The title for the building was secured on Wednesday, they added.

The council unanimously approved the shelter location at Tuesday's meeting and waived zoning issues for the building. Health, safety and fire codes, however, must still be met, which leaves a mountain of work required to set up a shelter for up to 200 men, women and children, providing beds, bathing facilities and two meals a day.

The county contract runs from Dec. 1 through the start of March, but with the short preparation time, Lewis said, the shelter would probably not open until at least Dec. 4.

"Dec. 4 is extremely optimistic," he said. "Dec. 8 or 11 are more realistic, but we're going to work as fast as we can to get the doors open."

As in previous years, the shelter will not allow walk-in guests. Clients must go to one of at least three pick-up sites where buses will take them to the site between 4 and 5 p.m.

The pick-up sites include the Long Beach Multi-Service Center, on 12th Street just west of the Long Beach (710) Freeway; the Butler Building, at Third Street and Magnolia Avenue; and a still-to-be-determined location in San Pedro, Price said.

Guests of the shelter will not be admitted after 5 p.m.

The staff at the Rescue Mission will continue to work with the city and the Police Department, as well as other agencies, to ensure the shelter serves everyone's needs, said Lewis, who ran a 140-bed shelter for four years in the Riverside County community of Indio.

"We've developed good relations with the people in law enforcement who oversee our area, and we plan on working with law enforcement and the city to see what we need to do," Krohmer said.

"Homelessness is an issue that affects the entire community, but for the shelter to benefit the community, it has to be run well."


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