Glendale officials and homeless advocates are gearing up to move from a county-run 150-bed facility to a significantly smaller city-operated 50-bed winter shelter program at the Glendale National Guard Armory, a move they say will be a challenging transition.
“We have people who are accustomed to just showing up and getting served,” said Natalie Komuro, executive director of the Glendale homeless advocacy group Ascencia. “Let me tell you, you’re going to still have people standing at the door.”
The city has been pushing for the smaller program for almost two years in the hope that downsizing will reduce the number of transients that come every winter. A smaller group can be more focused, officials said, and perhaps allow them to be more effective in transitioning more people out of homelessness. But the move to a smaller program has been met with concern from homeless officials worried that a 50-bed shelter will not meet needs.