Homeless Shelter Set to Open

By Olin Ericksen
staff Writer

September 1 -- Three years ago, City Council members brokered a last-minute compromise to usher in a controversial 55-bed homeless shelter in the City’s poorest and most diverse neighborhood.

Now the finishing touches are being applied for an October grand opening of the facility at Michigan Avenue and Cloverfield Boulevard, and only time will tell if it is embraced by a community that cried “not in my backyard.”

The two-story, 22,000-square-foot development will extend shelter, supportive counseling and day services to a number of mentally ill adult men and women, according to executive director, John Maceri, whose non-profit OPCC (formerly the Ocean Park Community Center) will run the site.

“It’s going to double the capacity of beds we have and double the ability we will have to house people, as well as strengthen our day program activities,” said Maceri of the $6 million dollar project.

What it will not contain, though, is a drop-in center that was expected to attract as many as 200 homeless each day – a plan that drew the ire of nearby schools, neighborhood associations and residents when the council first considered the project.

The Pico Neighborhood Association (PNA) even cut a homemade movie in 2003 decrying the shelter they said would dump services in their neighborhood.

But after three years and some extensive outreach, Maceri believes the project will receive a better reception than some expect.

“What happened in 2003 is ancient history, and there hasn’t been any local opposition in years,” he said. “I think we’ve made great strides with the community.”

Even as meetings with a larger circle of stakeholders – including the PNA, city officials and representatives from schools such as Crossroads – have dwindled, a “core group” of people have continued meeting about how to run the site, Maceri said.

“I think we’ve just had to educate people on what is going to be there, and I think that part of the hysteria around the project was because people did not understand what was going to happen there,” he said.

Still some have concerns.

School Board member Oscar de la Torre, an influential member in the PNA said he plans to give the shelter a fair shake, but admits he is anxious to see how it runs.

“The compromise the PNA pushed for hard was to keep (OPCC) drop-in services at 7th Street and Colorado, and reserve some beds for transitional housing for youths that are 18 to 22,” he said. “The only concern people have is that OPCC lives up to their agreement.”

How people may be discharged from the center and whether they may loiter in the newly expanded Virginia Avenue Park – just a few blocks south from site – is also a question.

“When people get released, do you think they’ll head north to the rich part of Santa Monica or south?” de la Torre said. “I think they’ll head south.”

While many attending the day services will be taking public transport and walking, security around the building will be a high priority, Maceri said. Furthermore, OPCC will heavily screen who will live in temporary housing at the site and participate in day programs, he said.

“Those admitted are only those…who are serious about getting better,” he said.

Also, while loitering will not be permitted, Maceri said he is considering making the restrooms available to the homeless who already visit the City yards just a stone’s throw away from the new shelter to recycle cans and bottles.

“The City yards are what they are, and we can’t change it,” Maceri said, “but it could be an opportunity to do outreach that we previously haven’t engaged.”

While Maceri admits that “not everyone will be thrilled” with the new center, he believes most of the contentious issues have been resolved. Still, challenges lay ahead.

“The real test will be when we move in,” he said.