BATTERED WOMEN TO GAIN SHELTER.

Byline: Yvette Cabrera Daily News Staff Writer

The largest transitional shelter in Los Angeles County will open in the San Fernando Valley today, an event long anticipated in an area of the city where police receive more than 13,500 domestic violence calls a year.

Harbour Community is a 38-unit housing complex with 140 beds. The shelter was sorely needed in the Valley, where only two other transitional shelters for battered women and their children exist, said advocates. The other shelters are Haven Hill's Haven Two with 99 beds and Tamar House's Hope Cottage with 25 beds.

The new shelter, which will provide housing for 36 families and two resident managers, will be run by Women Advancing the Valley through Education Economics and Empowerment (WAVE) and is the only transitional shelter in the Northeast Valley.

To protect its residents, the location of the shelter is not disclosed.

``This is long awaited for many individuals for many reasons,'' said Ann Beckham-Akerman, WAVE executive director. ``We are finally able to provide the services for which Harbour Community was intended.''

The total number of cases referred to the City Attorney's Domestic Violence Prosecution Unit has not increased in recent years, but the number of more serious cases has, according to Unit Coordinator Suja Lowenthal.

For instance, in 1996 the City Attorney's office reviewed a total of 16,177 misdemeanor cases. Of those, 5,276 were filed for prosecution. About 750 of those cases were handled by Lowenthal's unit. In 1997 that figure jumped to 1,200 cases.

``We separate the more serious out of the total cases we review, especially where children are involved,'' said Lowenthal.

The number of domestic violence calls to the Los Angeles Police Department's Valley Bureau has remained steady in recent years, with 13,571 patrol calls in 1996 and 13,936 calls in 1995, said Lowenthal. Figures for 1997 are not yet available.

WAVE has seen annual increases of reported incidents, said Beckham-Akerman, who attributes the higher numbers to increased public awareness of domestic violence and other factors.

WAVE will provide programs for its residents including counseling, job training and social service referrals.

The $1.7 million shelter was financed with Housing and Urban Development low-income housing funds, which the Los Angeles City Housing Department used to purchase the earthquake-damaged building. The shelter was developed by Neighborhood Empowerment and Economic Development.

State Senator Barbara Boxer and Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcon, a co-founder of WAVE, will be on hand for the grand opening of the shelter today.