NEW SHELTER WILL EXPAND OPTIONS.

Byline: Lisa Van Proyen Daily News Staff Writer

When Ed Tillmon's landlord of 10 years sold his Encino home, there weren't a lot of options for the struggling musician, his wife and eight children.

When Tillmon needed an affordable residence a month ago, he knew that not many landlords were willing to take in a family of 10.

The 50-year-old decided to move his family into the Trudy and Norman Louis Valley Shelter for the homeless in North Hollywood - where he said his family can have time to make their transition back to mainstream life.

With families such as the Tillmons, rather than singles, now accounting for the largest and fastest growing segment of the homeless population, Valley Shelter plans to open 68 more housing units in September devoted solely to families.

``There's a lot of individual care here,'' Tillmon said. ``They try to take your situation and give you the tools to make your situation work in life.''

The Sydney M. Irmas Transitional Living Center - more affectionately referred to by its staff as the ``TLC'' facility - will include 68 private units, two dining rooms, a kitchen, child-care center and medical clinic.

A state-of-the-art computer and job resource center with hookups for 36 computers will also be available, said Tracy Wallace, director of development for the Los Angeles Family Housing Corp.

With the expanded facility, LAFHC, which operates the shelter, will be able to increase its temporary housing by about 53 percent in the San Fernando Valley.

Last year, the shelter served more than 11,000 people.

The current facility provides up to 90 days of emergency shelter for 70 singles and 30 families at a time. With the additional facility, 68 more families will be served - and may live up to 18 months at the site.

``Three months gives you a chance to stabilize. But it doesn't necessarily assure that all the issues have been dealt with,'' said Jeff Farber, a spokesman for Valley Shelter.

By September, the shelter will have spent $3 million in federal and state funds and private donations to renovate its current facility and build the new one, which cost about $1.3 million, said Nat Hutton, LAFHC's executive director.

Officials hope to open the 55,000-square-foot facility by September, Wallace said. The new facility is two doors down from the existing 45,000-square-foot Valley Shelter in the 7800 block of Lankershim Boulevard.

The existing facility will be devoted to singles only, who will be able to stay up to six months, rather than the current six-week maximum, officials said. And 30 of the beds will be for veterans.

``The vet population in the Valley has been sorely overlooked,'' Hutton said. With the extended space, shelter officials plan to significantly expand their mental health and vocational resources and offer extra time to ``stabilize'' clients, Hutton said.

Thirteen of the new units will be set aside for an apprenticeship program in which the tenants will be required to pay a percentage of their income toward rent and utility fees, Farber said.

``It's like a campus. We're not just an institution where people sleep. We want them to graduate and move ahead with their lives,'' he said.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

PHOTO (1) Ed Tillmon, right, said his decision to move his family to a homeless shelter in North Hollywood will give them time to make a new start.

(2) Tracy Wallace, left, said the Sydney M. Irmas Transitional Living Center in North Hollywood will include a job resource center.

Tom Mendoza/Daily News