Homeless Center

Re “Homeless Camp Weighed in Industrial Area,” Oct. 14:

Both the public and other Times’ reporters have been misinformed about a planned downtown drop-in center that is part of a $20-million homeless initiative grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The article noted that “the Riordan Administration has launched a plan to shuttle homeless people to an urban campground on a fenced lot in the city’s core industrial area . . . where up to 800 people could take showers and sleep on a lawn.” We would like to set the record straight.

The proposed drop-in center did not originate in the mayor’s office. It originated in a joint committee of the City of Los Angeles Homeless Steering Committee and the County of Los Angeles Coordinating Council for the Homeless. It is designed to be voluntarily accessed. It will include approximately 50 beds for those who want an alternative to sleeping on the streets and will be able to provide an average of 200 persons per day with showers, toilets, laundry facilities, storage areas, an opportunity to rest or sleep, and access to information and services without the usual program requirements. Providers and advocates should remain vigilant to ensure that the drop-in center’s services are voluntary and that it does not become another “urban campground.”

RUTH SCHWARTZ

Los Angeles