Armories to Be Open All Winter for Homeless : Shelter: Fullerton and Santa Ana facilities begin duty Monday. But in a few years, the state plans to end the buildings’ use as cold-weather refuges.

For the first time, National Guard armories in Orange County will shelter the homeless all winter, shelter representatives said.

For homeless people, that is the good news. The bad news is that after the winter of 1994-’95, the armories will no longer be available to them.

The armories in Santa Ana and Fullerton will open Monday and will stay open until March 15. Until now, the armories opened only when temperatures dipped to 40 degrees.

Also for the first time in Orange County, volunteers will provide people who seek shelter at the armories with more than a cot and a hot meal: They will try to help them find permanent places to live.

Still, providers say they have little cause to celebrate.

The state recently informed the 16 counties that participate in the Armory Shelter Program that after the 1994-95 season the armories will no longer be available for the homeless.

“Armories are not an appropriate place to house people; they’re basically warehouses,” said Jennifer Nelson, the state homeless coordinator. Nelson stressed that the armory programs began as temporary assistance to local governments faced with homeless problems, and were not meant to be used on a long-term basis.

“It was initially an emergency response. We need a more long-term, comprehensive approach,” she said. “This program is not helping to meet the needs of the people in the streets. We need preventive measures, job training and drug and alcohol training.”

Nelson said people do not want to face the homeless issue within their communities. The armories, which are located far from residential neighborhoods, seem like an easy solution.

“Armories should not be used as an out for NIMBYism,” or a Not in My Back Yard attitude, she said. “They shouldn’t be warehousing people because they can’t stomach people being in the street near them.”

But the announcement that the armories will no longer be available has thrown providers for the homeless into a virtual panic, and a number of advocacy groups statewide are considering introducing legislation that would keep the armories open, said Kay Knepprath, public policy coordinator for the California Homeless and Housing Coalition.

“The armories are a definite resource,” Knepprath said. “For the Administration to say we can no longer use them is not in the best interest of the people in California.”

Advocates for the homeless agree that although the armories might not offer a permanent solution, they at least offer shelter to people who would otherwise be on the street all winter. County officials estimate that there are about 10,000 homeless in Orange County and only about 900 beds.

“Using the armories is not an ideal situation,” said Bill Fogarty, chair of the Orange County Emergency Food and Shelter Program. “I’d love to see people in long-term housing. But it’s going to be awful hard to find a place for these people. It’s an ongoing problem and it’s not going to get better.”

Local agencies for the homeless also said they will have a difficult time finding buildings large enough to shelter as many people as they can in the armories--each of which can house about 125 people a night.

The National Guard Shelter Program was started in 1987, but the armories were open only when temperatures dropped below 40 degrees or when rain accompanied temperatures under 50 degrees.

Last year Gov. Pete Wilson authorized keeping the armories open for 90 days continuously, regardless of the weather. But Orange County shelters were only open 27 nights last year.

Since September, advocates for the homeless have been lobbying state officials to keep the armories open beyond the next three years.

But the state is not budging, said Maria Mendoza, the county’s coordinator for the homeless.

Instead, the State Office of Health and Welfare has offered each county a grant equivalent to what it spent on the armory program. Orange County would be eligible for about $10,000, Mendoza said, but can receive the money only if it stops using the armories before the final 1994-95 season.

“Is it feasible to find a facility that could house the homeless and provide food and transportation for $10,000?” she asked.

The county will be eligible for other grants as well, totaling about $70,000. But Jim Miller, executive director of Shelter for the Homeless in Westminster, which is coordinating the armory program for the county, said that amount is not even enough to pay for the mortgage and staff of a new shelter.

“All we can do now is pray,” Miller said.

The solution is for local governments and communities to become more involved in tackling the homeless problem, Nelson said. Many other counties do not use the armories, she said, but instead utilize local churches, synagogues and other community resources. She also said cities should devote redevelopment money to create affordable housing and rehabilitation facilities.

But many city governments say they have no money for new programs.

“The cities have no comparable facilities, and these people will be out there in the cold,” said Westminster Mayor Charles V. Smith.

“We support the Shelter for the Homeless, but there’s no way the cities can cover the responsibility and replace the armories,” Smith said. “We have no funding. It’s catastrophic that the state abrogates that responsibility.”

But Nelson said the state is committed to finding a permanent solution to the problem.

“This change in policy is not a step away from commitment to problem,” Nelson said. “Rather it’s toward a comprehensive, more long-term solution with local government. Armories don’t do that.”

Volunteers will be needed for the extra nights the armories are open this year to set up cots, serve food and interview homeless people to get them into permanent housing.