Guardian Angel Having Devil of a Time

A downtrodden block near a once-glorious stretch of Wilshire Boulevard will soon be losing its guardian angel.

Street pastor Robert Honeycutt has been running Great Shepherd Outreach, providing free food and spiritual guidance to residents in a Koreatown neighborhood near the old Ambassador Hotel. The program moved to the site in January from East Los Angeles.

But now he will be among tenants who will have to vacate the premises at 842 S. Normandie Ave. when new owners take over the building. The 19-unit apartment complex has gone into escrow and once the sale is final, residents will be forced out as the building undergoes renovation.

“It’s gonna be a sad day on the block when Pastor Honeycutt moves on,” said Luciaus Ownes, a security guard at an apartment building across the street.

Retired Municipal Judge Ben Vega, who owns the building, said he felt bad that Honeycutt would have to move. But he said he had no other recourse but to sell. “I have lost $20,000 this year alone trying to maintain it,” Vega, 81, said Friday from his Santa Monica home.

“I don’t want you to think I’m a Simon Legree, but I just have to think of my future. Honeycutt is a good man and has worked like the devil to help this neighborhood. But, I just can’t afford to keep [the building].”

The new owners could not be reached for comment Friday.

Meanwhile, Honeycutt, who is getting married today, keeps on praying for a miracle so he can continue his work on the block.

“I can find a place to live, but I have 15 people here I’m looking out for,” said Honeycutt.

“I’ve got two women here with children. I’ve got a mentally disabled guy who has AIDS. I got a disabled veteran. I got this guy . . . who just kicked heroin and is doing real good. Where are these people going to go?”