LOS ANGELES : Unwed-Mother Shelter Will Expand, Not Close

The Salvation Army on Friday announced that its 92-year-old shelter for pregnant teen-agers and unwed mothers in Lincoln Heights--which it had said would be shut down because of financial losses--will remain open.

Citing a cooperative agreement with the Los Angeles County Department of Children’s Services, officials of Booth Memorial Center said that services will be expanded to include assistance for runaways and emotionally troubled teen-age girls.

Officials had announced in November that the center would close Jan. 15. The shelter, which has a 71-member staff and an annual budget of $1.5 million, has amassed a $935,000 deficit in two years, they said.

It provides shelter for about 30 teen-age girls and 20 infants, offering a full-service maternity hospital, an obstetrics clinic and Riley High School, operated by the Los Angeles Unified School District as part of its pregnant minor program.