Temporary Shelter for Men Is Opened

With temperatures dropping into the 30s this week, Ventura County officials have opened a temporary shelter for homeless men.

The move comes after a meeting Monday between county officials and Ventura city leaders that focused on immediate needs as well as a long-term plan to address homelessness. “While the site being offered in Ventura is being done on a temporary basis, we are all very pleased with the work being done by local and regional governments to find long-term solutions, not stopgaps, to the homeless problem,” Supervisor Kathy Long said.

The decision was announced Tuesday morning and by nightfall eight men had sought relief from the 36-degree chill, said Rick Pearson, executive director of Project Understanding, a nonprofit agency that provides services to the homeless.

The homeless men will meet at the Ventura Salvation Army, 155 S. Oak St., between 5 and 6 p.m. They will be transported to a county-owned building in Ventura that can accommodate 30 nightly.

Anyone interested in the shelter program can call 652-1326.