24-hour emergency homeless shelters in LA County opening early due to storm
LOS ANGELES - Nearly 1,200 beds are now available for the homeless across the county. They include 271 Winter Shelter Program beds, 100 additional interim shelter beds as well as an additional 500 beds at five sites within the city and 100 beds at Athens Park supplied by the County of Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) says their seven Winter Shelter Program locations will be open through the end of March. The additional 100 beds in the interim housing shelter will be available through Saturday morning.
The city locations as well as Athens Park will operate through Saturday morning.
“The weather we’re expecting this week could be life-threatening for our homeless neighbors. There’s no time to waste — we have to do everything in our power to bring people inside now,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti in a statement. “These new beds will help save lives, and I am grateful to my colleagues on the City Council, our partners at the County and LAHSA, and the service providers who are helping us stand them up so quickly.”
Organizers say volunteers with United Way of Greater L.A. will be supplying food at shelters as well as making emergency grants to community-based organizations.
“We must do all we can to help people be safe indoors during inclement weather,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas.
The United Way of Greater L.A. is marshaling volunteers and supplying food for various shelter sites, as well as making emergency grants to community-based organizations so that they can provide support to people who remain outside.
Click here for a list of locations, their operating date as well as the number of beds available.