Winter shelter getting support

CITY HALL — The City Council on Tuesday appeared to embrace the expected return of a homeless winter shelter to downtown Glendale, despite its controversial stay in Burbank last winter.

County and local officials expect the shelter to operate out of the National Guard Armory on Colorado Street this winter. It would be a homecoming of sorts, given that the armory had hosted the Los Angeles County-funded program for more than 10 years before it moved to Burbank in 2007 to allow for construction and building upgrades.

The move to Burbank got an early warm reception, but last year, residents living near the armory there started to complain, sparking community meetings and discord on the Burbank City Council on what to do with the shelter. Then in March, state National Guard officials said the Burbank armory would be closed to homeless shelter programs this winter to accommodate military deployments to the Middle East.

“You can’t just turn your back,” Councilman Dave Weaver said at the Glendale Housing Authority meeting Tuesday. “You weigh the pros and cons and err on the side of human life.”

Still, council members directed city officials to explore alternative future locations for the shelter after police officials expressed concern about the armory’s proximity to the central downtown area.

The shelter’s contractor last year, EIMAGO, a subsidiary of the Union Rescue Mission in Los Angeles, intends to reapply to operate it in Glendale from Dec. 1 through March 15, said Carrie Gatlin Siqueiros, vice president of governmental affairs and special projects for the mission.

Armories are mandated under state law to be available for winter shelter programs, unless superseded by military purposes. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, which oversees the shelter program, is expected to approve the application for the Glendale armory later this summer.

The winter shelter program typically results in increased calls for service, said Police Capt. Lief Nicolaisen. And it brings more chronic transients — which can include drug users and criminals — downtown, he added.

“Every year our libraries, adult recreation center and the businesses in the central business district are negatively affected by the homeless population that increases during that time of the year of the shelter,” he said.