Advocates for Homeless Seek New Site for Shelter
Advocates for the homeless in Long Beach are scrambling to find a site to use as a shelter during severe weather after Gov. Pete Wilson vetoed a bill that would have allowed the city to use a National Guard armory.
The armory at Seventh Street and Alamitos Avenue housed up to 180 people a night during cold or rainy weather between last November and March, said Rev. Leon Wood, president of the Homeless Coalition.
Wood went before the City Council this week and asked for help in finding a new Long Beach location for the program, funded by the county’s Homeless Services Agency.
The situation has taken on an urgency because of predictions that the upcoming winter will be wetter than normal because of expected El Nino conditions. One councilman said the city will work with county officials to find an alternative site.
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