Armory Ready for Duty as Shelter for the Homeless : Oxnard: The Red Cross will turn over supervision of the cold-weather program after this year.

With the scheduled opening of Ventura County’s largest cold-weather shelter less than a week away, the American Red Cross is gearing up to run the program one last season before turning it over to an agency better suited to meeting the needs of the homeless.

The Ventura County chapter of the Red Cross has operated the emergency shelter at the National Guard Armory in Oxnard since it opened seven years ago, heading a volunteer effort that last winter shielded more than 800 homeless people from the bone-chilling cold.

But Red Cross officials say they have realized that managing the program is beyond the scope of their mission.

“The American Red Cross is an emergency service organization that provides immediate emergency relief, and this has become an ongoing effort rather than an emergency effort,” said Richard Rink, coordinator of the shelter program.

“We’re thinking about the homeless and the best way to provide services to them,” Rink added. “And if the best way to provide services is to transition this program to another agency, that’s what we are going to do.”

Last month, Ventura-based Project Understanding agreed to seek the county’s permission to take over the program, starting next fall. The state makes the armories available to the homeless but the county administers the program.

Rick Pearson, executive director of the nonprofit group, said board members agreed to take on the project with the expectation that church groups and other agencies would continue to help keep it going.

“It’s a big step for us,” said Pearson, noting that until now Project Understanding has concentrated its efforts in Ventura and the Ojai Valley. “It just became clear that not a lot of people were going to show an interest in taking over operation of the warming shelter.”

The Oxnard armory opened to the homeless in 1987, after then-Gov. George Deukmejian ordered the California National Guard to open armories across the state to provide overnight shelter.

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In the winter of 1988-89, the Oxnard armory provided shelter for 516 homeless people. In the winter of 1991-92--when back-to-back storms produced a raging flood that killed four people, including a homeless man on the Ventura River bottom--that number soared to 803.

Last winter, 863 homeless people used the facility.

“It seems to increase each year,” Rink said. “But we’ve made it a rule never to turn anyone away. This is their last option. We will find something.”

This year, the armory may open as soon as next Monday and will operate through mid-March.

According to an agreement with the state, the Red Cross can use the armory before Dec. 15 if weather forecasts indicate nighttime temperatures below 40 degrees, or below 50 with a chance of rain.

Beginning next Monday, Red Cross officials will monitor forecasts to see if they can open the shelter each night. From Dec. 15 on, the armory will be open every night through March 15.

The armory, at 351 S. K St., is supposed to accommodate only 120 people, but it has held as many as 150. When the doors open at 7 p.m., the homeless get a hot meal, a shower and a place to rest for the night.

In the morning, they are served a small breakfast and must be out by 7 a.m.

Homeless people from across the county use the Oxnard shelter, which serves more than 100 people a night. Many use the shelter on a regular basis.

Most of the clients are men, but there are women and children too.

“We do have more families than we’d like to see,” Rink said. “There are quite a few nights where we are running around helping change diapers.”

Rink said the Red Cross is ready to help Project Understanding take over management of the program, and that there will be no lack of community support to keep it going.

“We are still going to be around to work in a collaborative effort,” he said. “I know I plan to be an emergency warming shelter volunteer for years to come.”

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In addition to the Oxnard armory, other warming shelters throughout the county are scheduled to open soon.

In Ojai, the Ojai Valley Family Shelter--with 20 beds for men, women and families--is scheduled to open today. And in Thousand Oaks, the Conejo Valley Winter Shelter is scheduled to open Dec. 1. That facility also has 20 beds.