Motel Being Renovated as Emergency Shelter

The sale of a North Hollywood motel to the San Fernando Valley Interfaith Council for use as an emergency shelter for the homeless was completed Wednesday.

The Interfaith Council paid $2.2 million for the 77-unit Fiesta Motel at 7843 Lankershim Blvd., said Priscilla Thompson, president of the council’s board.

For the last year, the former motel owners, Leslie Goldhammer and his son, Stan, leased 22 rooms to the homeless under a voucher program, causing consternation among area residents.

The motel closed Tuesday and about half a dozen remaining residents were sent to other motels, said Jim Eaves, the Fiesta’s assistant manager. Employees and tenants had been given two week’s notice that the motel would be closed, he said.

Immediate Renovations

The Interfaith Council immediately began making extensive renovations to prepare the motel for reopening as a shelter for the homeless, Eaves said. It will be outfitted with new furniture, he said, and an outdoor swimming pool will be filled in for use as a play area.

The shelter will provide job placement, counseling, food, health care and other services for the homeless, Interfaith officials have said.

Council officials expect to complete the renovations by March 27, when a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled. Thompson would not say when the shelter will reopen.

The motel rooms were first made available to the homeless last March, when the county Board of Supervisors allocated $50,000 in federal funds to the Interfaith Council. The money was used to provide vouchers for the rental of hotel rooms.

Loans for Purchase

Last month, the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency and Community Development Department provided $200,000 each in low-interest loans to the council to help purchase the motel.

The council also received a $195,000 state grant and solicited contributions from business and community groups to assist in the purchase.

Residents of the neighborhood have opposed the program from the start, complaining that it attracts alcoholics, drug addicts, vandals and thieves.

The motel will be managed by Jim White, former manager of a shelter for the homeless in Boston, Eaves said.