Church Seeks Airport Facility to Open Shelter

A small San Fernando Valley church made a big request of the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners Monday, asking officials to donate a 20-acre complex of vacant buildings at Van Nuys Airport for use as a proposed shelter and counseling center for poor people.

The commission delayed action on the request by Charles Hudson, pastor and executive director of the Encino-based Prayer House of God. Hudson, whose church has 23 members, said he wants to create a center that will provide free housing, job placement and training, food and clothing, assistance and counseling for homeless people, unwed mothers and veterans.

The buildings are on the abandoned Air National Guard base near Saticoy Street and Balboa Boulevard. The city operates a cold-weather shelter program for the homeless in a converted hangar at the complex, which is planned for demolition.

The five-member board took no action on the request. Instead, commissioners asked airport staff to develop a policy that would address all such inquiries from social service agencies for airport property and would refer the proposals to a more appropriate city department.

“There was unanimous agreement among the commissioners that they are not experts on who should run a social program,” said Glen Kroh, property manager for the airport department. “The board did not feel they had the expertise to make that kind of decision.”

Airport officials will recommend a policy Feb. 13, when the House of God request will probably be referred to the Community Development Department or the mayor’s office, with a letter outlining the church’s efforts so far, Kroh said. Airport officials will also make a recommendation on what they see as the best use of the land, Kroh said.

Hudson acknowledged in an interview Monday that he has not raised the $650,000 he estimated it would cost to run the facility or additional money it would cost to refurbish the buildings. Hudson expressed interest in at least six buildings, including a former barracks, mess hall, recreation room and other facilities, which officials said need extensive asbestos removal and repair of water and gas systems.

Van Nuys Airport Manager Charles Zeman said the proposal “would entail significant cost to bring them up to code standards. Our position has been that the cost of renovation would exceed their usefulness.”

Hudson said if he receives the land he would guarantee that his group could fund the social service center through donations.

“The donations would come in because of the facilities,” he said. “We are interested in anything they would let us have.”

Hudson said he currently runs a job bank, housing referral service and assistance program that is much smaller than the proposed program. He said the center would serve hundreds of people a year.

“We are primarily doing referrals to other agencies,” he said.

Church officials said they have found jobs for 118 people in the past 90 days.