Van Nuys Hangar OKd to Shelter Homeless
The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners on Wednesday approved use of a Van Nuys Airport hangar as a homeless shelter for 60 days, city officials said.
The shelter will be able to house 150 people a night under the city’s new program to provide continuous night-time shelter for the homeless during the year’s coldest months, said Bob Vilmur, coordinator of city programs for the homeless.
In the past, the city operated shelters only on nights when temperatures dipped below state emergency guidelines.
The city had used the Van Nuys National Guard Armory as a shelter in the San Fernando Valley last year. However, guard commanders declined to make the armories available for 60 consecutive days, saying that would set a bad precedent and interfere with preparations by guard units that may be called to active duty in the Persian Gulf.
Vilmur said city crews worked Wednesday and will continue today to convert the hangar, which has a large opening on one side, into a shelter. He said the city plans to open the shelter Friday night.
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