Southeast : Center for Homeless Reopens at New Site

Olivia Herrera was anxious to inform her clients that the Long Beach homeless center she directed for nearly 18 years had reopened after a four-month hiatus. Unfortunately, she said, most of them are hard to reach because they are either homeless or too poor to afford a phone.

So she relied on word of mouth and waited for her former clients to rediscover Centro Shalom. She knew they would come around, Herrera said, since the center offers services such as free groceries, clothing, translation and counseling.

Now, a month after the center relocated to 1902 E. Anaheim St., eight blocks from its former home at Latin American United Methodist Church on Temple Avenue, some people she had feared were lost are finally turning up. The center moved after the church said it wanted the group to stop offering food and clothing to the homeless.

“People are slowly drifting in,” said Herrera, Centro’s former director who now works at the center answering phones and translating. “They’re usually out looking for us and they say, ‘Oh, I found you!’ ” she said.

But when they arrive they find that some things have changed. For instance, there are no more beds or hot meals because the new space is much smaller. But thanks to the continuing support of local churches and individuals, the center continues doling out donations.

Shelter and hot lunches could return if the center’s budget grows, Herrera said. Centro officials would like to buy adjacent office space, she said, so they can offer the services they provided at the church.