Editorial: More room for a very important mission

Executive Director Barbara Howell explains the space, that is now filled with shelves filled with food, was a conference area at the Burbank Temporary Aid Center on Tuesday, August 12, 2014. BTAC, in May, purchased the building next to them which will greatly improve the services they offer to existing clients.

Aug. 16, 2014 8:36 AM PT

The 40-year-old Burbank Temporary Aid Center, which over the decades has been housed in various sites, is one step closer to having its current digs on West Burbank Boulevard expanded significantly, thanks to this week’s action of the Planning Board. We are pleased to see this project move forward.

Center officials are not expecting a spike in the number of homeless or low-income people they serve each year, but they have been in dire need of some space to create easily accessible food pantries, a laundry room so clients can have clean clothing and two offices for administrators.

It’s a no-nonsense expansion that will help the agency more comfortably assist the 3,000 low-income Burbank households and approximately 300 homeless residents that it sees each year. Think about it: On a daily basis, 45 people are provided lunches and 22 are given a chance to take showers at the center. Factor in several loads of laundry, bags of groceries for about 25 households, six case-management sessions, vouchers for taxis and bus tokens, and you can see this center is vital for those in our community who can use a hand. We should all be proud of this nonprofit for continuing to find ways to handle its mission.