ANTELOPE VALLEY : After-School Center for Youths Opens
An after-school children’s and teen-agers’ center between Palmdale and Lancaster opened Friday to give youths a refuge from gangs, drugs and crime.
Billy Pricer, executive director of United Community Action Network, which opened the center, said admission will be limited to members who sign an agreement not to use drugs or alcohol, smoke, or loiter near the facility.
The network provides counseling to 150 to 300 youths each month through referrals from local schools, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the district attorney’s office and parole offices, Pricer said.
The 3-year-old organization is supported by grants from the Los Angeles Community Development Commission, the state Juvenile Justice Department, corporations and churches, Pricer said.
The 2,600-square-foot center, in a storefront building at 190 Sierra Court near Avenue M and Sierra Highway, has a big-screen TV, table games, weightlifting equipment, snacks and a theatrical stage.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
