Central Los Angeles : Proposed Shelter for Homeless Criticized

Its backers call it a shelter, but critics say it’s camouflage.

The project in question is a proposed $4-million drop-in center for the homeless that would turn a former Salvation Army rehabilitation facility in an industrial part of Downtown Los Angeles into a 50-bed complex with showers, an outdoor recreation area and mail service.

The center, on East 7th Street, aims to draw homeless people from the streets by giving them a place to shower, watch television and get information on available services. In case word doesn’t get around, staffers will cruise Downtown in vans, offering rides to the center.

“The intent is to give them a reasonably humane alternative to being on the street,” said Jay Glassman of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, the city-county agency overseeing the federal grant for the center.

The contract to run the center could be awarded by late September, Glassman said.

But some social workers say the program is an attempt to keep the homeless out of sight and mind--a charge disputed by Tracey Lovejoy, a member of the site selection committee, who said, “No one is forcing them to go there.”