Homeless Get Place to Spend Christmas
More than 140 people with no place to call home were given a place to spend Christmas this year.
Volunteers from the American Red Cross and other organizations kept the National Guard armory in Oxnard open Thursday through Saturday.
The shelter would have been open regardless on both Christmas Eve and Christmas night from 7 p.m. until 7 a.m., but the facility remained open all day Friday so the homeless could enjoy the holiday indoors.
“These people are going through a very difficult time in their lives,” said Brian Bolton, executive director of the county chapter of the Red Cross, which operates a wintertime homeless shelter at the armory under a contract with the county.
Bolton said 144 people used the armory over the two days. They were provided dinner Thursday and three meals on Christmas Day, as well as assorted gifts donated by residents and businesses. Carolers led a sing-along in the armory on Christmas Eve.
Because of a $54,400 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the armory will be open every night through March 15, Bolton said.
More to Read
More to Read
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.
