Weather Forces Shelters to Open

Chilly and windy overnight temperatures throughout the Antelope, Santa Clarita and San Fernando valleys caused three area emergency homeless shelters to open over the weekend.

“Actually it hasn’t been cold enough in most areas. They’ve opened mostly because of wind,” said Paul Rossi, program coordinator for the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, which administers funding for 20 county shelters.

The facilities, with more than 2,000 beds, opened for the winter in mid-November on a weather-activated basis, which means it must rain or temperatures must dip below 40 degrees for the shelters to open.

However, from Dec. 16 through Feb. 29, all county shelters will open daily regardless of weather, Rossi said.

The Antelope Valley’s only shelter, located in Lancaster, is not expected to close between now and Dec. 16 because overnight temperatures are expected to drop into the teens all week.

“The weather is very extreme out here,” said Patricia Welch, director of the Lancaster Community Shelter. “We’ve had 110 homeless people since we opened in November.”

To find out if a shelter is open and where the facility is, call (800) 548-6047.

Here is a list of area shelters:

* Glendale Armory Shelter, 220 E. Colorado St., (818) 241-7932.

* Lancaster Community Shelter, 44611 Yucca Ave., (661) 945-7524.

* Santa Clarita Shelter, 26407 Golden Valley Road, (661) 251-6610.

* Sylmar Armory Shelter, 12860 Arroyo St., (818) 982-4091.