Winter shelters opening earlier, offering more beds, staying open longer

L.A. County's winter shelter program will be starting early and local homeless shelters will be open longer as officials anticipate a cold, wet El Niño winter, Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority spokesperson Naomi Goldman told KPCC.

Twelve shelters are already open across L.A. County as of Nov. 1 — including a number in the city itself — and more will be opening in mid-November, Goldman said. The shelters are scheduled to remain open through March.

"These winter shelters, in addition to providing warmth, and food, and comfort to homeless persons during the cold and rainy season, they also offer access to supportive services and housing assistance so that we can try to link up these homeless persons to more longer-term solutions," Goldman said. "It's more than just a bed."

An extra $1.3 million in funding from the L.A. City Council and $905,000 from the L.A. County Board of Supervisors has helped to allow shelters to stretch the hours they're open during what Goldman called an "unpredictable" winter season.

The winter shelters contain more than 1,400 emergency shelter beds, she said and they will most definitely be filled, she added.

"I would expect that as the temperature changes and the rains kick in, we will absolutely see more people taking advantage of these services," Goldman said. "This does represent more beds than in years past."

LAHSA is coordinating its efforts with the city, the county and the California National Guard. 

Officials will be reaching out to the homeless before storms hit the area, particularly those in areas that are at high risk in the inclement weather — such as those along river beds and in storm drains, Goldman said. Authorities want to let homeless people know about the increased risk during an El Niño year — and help direct them to safer locations and connect them to shelters services — before the rain kicks in.

"The overall goal is not only to serve the homeless population, but work very diligently to reduce the number of people who are homeless," Goldman said.

Grace Resources Incorporated, which operates some shelters in Lancaster and the Antelope Valley, is set to expand their beds for single men and women as part of L.A. County's efforts.

"Next weekend we'll be adding 20 more beds, and then, as an organization, we're working with the city and the county to be able to expand probably by 30 to 40 percent our services within the next couple of months," Grace Resources Incorporated Director of Shelter Services Stacy Waddle told KPCC.

Waddle said that among the most important things for homeless people to have in cold weather is socks.

"Sometimes for the homeless community, the difference between getting sick and not getting sick is having a clean pair of socks," Waddle said.

With the National Weather Service predicting temperatures could reach freezing Wednesday night, there may be more people looking for warm beds.

"What we do on the nights where it's raining, or it's cold, we do things like move the dining room furniture around to create more space to put cots and mats, just to bring in as many as we can," Waddle said. "For those who choose not to come in, obviously there's going to be more people who end up in the emergency room."

Waddle said that every year some of the county's most vulnerable die due to the cold desert nights. She warned that hypothermia is the greatest risk for the homeless community during freezing weather.

In standard conditions, their shelters can serve between nine and 12 families. Beginning next week, they'll be able to accommodate 52 single men and 42 single women, Waddle said.

Goldman said that the LAHSA will be monitoring outreach and keeping a close eye on how shelters are utilized throughout the season, and they plan to work with the city and county to look for solutions if they need grows.

For information on the locations and capacity of individual shelters, and to find more information on how to get homeless people to these locations,  visit LAHSA.org or call 2-1-1.