Lancaster Will Fund Shelter for Homeless Youths

Antelope Valley youngsters who are homeless or runaways will be able to obtain temporary shelter starting today under a program sponsored by the city of Lancaster that fills what had been a gap in public services, officials said Wednesday.

Although Lancaster has a homeless shelter for adults and families, lone children are not permitted there for their own safety. And no other voluntary shelter opportunities had existed for the area’s estimated 100 runaway or homeless children each month, social service workers said.

Under the new program, funded with a $10,000 city grant, homeless youngsters ages 10 to 17 will be able to call a 24-hour hot line and be placed in a local foster home for up to five days. The hot line number is (805) 949-1069.

The goals of the new program are to provide a safe although temporary haven for youngsters off the streets, to reunite them with their families if possible and to refer them to appropriate government or nonprofit agencies for added help, Lancaster Mayor Henry Hearns said.

Hearns said the program will run at least several months during the winter in the Antelope Valley, when nighttime temperatures are often below freezing and snow is not uncommon. Meanwhile, Hearns said he plans to explore a possible permanent youth shelter.

The hot line will be staffed by members of Antelope Valley Youth Services, a United Way-funded group. The youngsters will be referred to Walden Environment, a private, nonprofit group that coordinates foster homes in the Antelope Valley. The city will pay $40 for each night a youngster is sheltered.

Elaine McElhinney, deputy administrator for the Los Angeles County Department of Children’s Services, said her department was not consulted about the city’s plans. But she said she knew of no other government or nonprofit program in the area that offers shelter to homeless youths.

“I don’t really know why there hasn’t been anything for these kids up there,” McElhinney said. “It sounds like a real good idea to me.”

The county’s programs deal with abused children or those in legal trouble, but not with those who are routine runaways or simply homeless, she said.

Karen Durell, an official with Antelope Valley Youth Services who estimated that there are 100 homeless or runaway youngsters a month, said she has heard stories and had experience with homeless children living on the streets and sleeping outdoors.

Hearns said the program for children “would come first in my book,” even though the 40-bed adult and family shelter that Lancaster helps fund has been full and had a waiting list of 65 to 85 people almost constantly since its opening more than a year ago.