BURBANK TO OPEN WINTER SHELTER HOMELESS: SITE NEAR PACIFIC PARK TO HOUSE AS MANY AS 150 PEOPLE. BY ALEX DOBUZINSKIS STAFF WRITER.BURBANK -- For the first time in years, Burbank will have a place for the homeless to seek shelter in the cold winter months. The Burbank City Council voted 4-0 late Tuesday to approve a shelter at an armory at Valhalla and Screenland drives next to Pacific Park that will open within days. Union Rescue Mission The Union Rescue Mission (URM) is a private, Christian, homeless shelter in downtown Los Angeles's skid row. It is the largest, private, homeless shelter in the United States. will oversee the temporary shelter, operating it through March 15 with money from the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Homeless Services Authority. The council's decision marks the first time in years the city has been asked to open a shelter and accepted the request. "Shame on Burbank for not doing something sooner, and it's about time It's About Time may refer to:
The first-term councilwoman said when she was running for election, residents told her they wanted a shelter and to help the homeless more. "While it's nice to live in a little Camelot where you don't have to worry about these sorts of things, I think we do need to worry about it, and be a compassionate com·pas·sion·ate adj. 1. Feeling or showing compassion; sympathetic. See Synonyms at humane. 2. Granted to an individual because of an emergency or other unusual circumstances: and caring community," Reinke said. In the lead-up to its vote, the council heard from about 20 speakers in support of the shelter. Only one person opposed it, although several expressed concerns. Nancy Durkee, whose 4-year-old son attends Our Children's Place, a cooperative preschool at Pacific Park, said she was "torn" -- wanting to protect her son but at the same time wanting to help the homeless. "When we talk about the 'little guy' ... all I can think about is my little guy, and I can't help but do that," she said. "I'm a mom." Glendale hosted a winter shelter for more than a decade, but this year its armory was unavailable because of pending construction. So LAHSA LAHSA Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (California) asked Burbank to open a shelter. To prevent the homeless from loitering Loitering (IPA pronunciation: ['lɔɪtəˌrɪŋ] is an intransitive verb meaning to stand idly, to stop numerous times, or to delay and procrastinate. nearby, Union Rescue Mission plans to pick them up by bus from spots in Burbank and Glendale. The group said it will serve up to 150 homeless a night, although officials said they doubt that many people can fit. City Councilman David Gordon David Gordon may refer to:
"The surrounding sur·round tr.v. sur·round·ed, sur·round·ing, sur·rounds 1. To extend on all sides of simultaneously; encircle. 2. To enclose or confine on all sides so as to bar escape or outside communication. n. community isn't going to know about this until the buses start pulling up," he said. alex.dobuzinskis(at)dailynews.com 818-546-3304 |
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