Van Nuys Shelter for Young Prostitutes Opens Doors : Assistance: Children of the Night will house up to 24 youths at its new site and help them build new lives.

Children of the Night, the nationally known organization devoted to rescuing teen-age prostitutes, opened the doors to its new $2-million Van Nuys shelter Thursday in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for community leaders.

The shelter, which will house up to 24 clients each night, is in the historic building that once was the site of the Van Nuys post office at 14530 Sylvan St.

“This has to be a dream come true for Lois,” said Mid-Valley Chamber of Commerce President Joe DiFatta as he welcomed organization Executive Director Lois Lee to the community. Children of the Night, which is nonprofit, was founded in 1979 and has operated until now in Hollywood.

“We’re thankful the shelter is here in Van Nuys,” DiFatta said as Lee stood nearby with tears in her eyes. “You and your staff have done so much.”

Lee has gained fame for her work with young prostitutes. In 1984, she received the Volunteer Action Award from President Ronald Reagan. A year later, her life story was the subject of a CBS television movie called “Children of the Night.”

At one time, she allowed young prostitutes to live in her home but had long desired to open a shelter that could help sexually abused boys and girls return to society. The post office building was purchased in 1989 for $899,000. Architect Brett Laurilla donated $120,000 in services to redesign the building for the special needs of a 24-hour shelter.

Lee said more than $1 million was spent on renovation. Prostitutes admitted to the shelter will be permitted to stay 60 days while they train to re-enter society, getting jobs and apartments.

Lee said the decision was made to move the administrative operations of Children of the Night to a new location because police crackdowns on prostitution in Hollywood have driven the pimps into other areas, including suburbs such as Orange County.

“There’s no reason to sit in Hollywood,” Lee said in an interview. “There is a new subculture of kids on the streets.”

But Lee said she has no evidence that there is a problem with teen-age prostitution in the San Fernando Valley. She said many other locales were scouted as sites for the shelter, but the 57-year-old post office building turned out to have everything she wanted. Also, the Valley has frequently been used over the years as a place to find apartments for the young prostitutes while they try to leave the street life behind.

“The transportation is better here, and it’s safer” than the Central City, said Lee, who lives in Encino.

The building contains 12 bedrooms with two beds and a tiled bathroom in each.

A fully outfitted kitchen, dining room and one-room school are located downstairs.

The second floor houses administrative offices.

Lee said clients will live according to a rigorous schedule that includes exercising each morning, five hours of classroom instruction each day and counseling.

Clients will be required to watch the news from 5 to 6 p.m. each night, Lee said, to learn more about the world around them.

The facility’s interior was designed by a professional decorator, Cynthia Aguilar, and contains touches not normally seen in shelters.

The entryway is marble and there are artworks in the rear yard, including a fountain set in a wall inscribed with a dedication to friends and donors who have kept the organization alive over the years.

The building is not occupied yet because the organization has not received a community care license from the state.

The license would allow the organization to house young people in the building 24 hours a day.

Several other events related to the opening of the shelter will be held in the next few weeks.

There will be a celebration Monday for major contributors and supporters.