OXNARD : Armory to Be Open Nightly as Shelter
The National Guard Armory in Oxnard will stay open every night until March 15 as a shelter for the homeless, the Ventura County chapter of the American Red Cross announced Tuesday.
The Red Cross received a $54,400 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to keep the shelter open nightly, rather than only on cold or rainy nights as present policy and funding dictate, said Brian E. Bolton, Ventura County Red Cross executive director.
The shelter, which has opened only when the temperature drops below 40 degrees or when rain is forecast, serves from 40 to 120 people a night.
From March 15 to March 31, the shelter will go back to the weather criteria to determine which nights it will be open. The armory closes for the season after March 31 by order of Gov. Pete Wilson.
The Red Cross runs the shelter on contract with the Ventura County Public Social Services Agency. The county of Ventura, the cities of Ventura and Oxnard, and FEMA share funding for the shelter.
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