Union Rescue Mission to charge for some beds

The Union Rescue Mission in downtown Los Angeles will begin charging on a voluntary basis for some of its beds because of overwhelming demand triggered by the recession and recurring visits by some guests, shelter officials said Friday.

In September, the homeless shelter will begin charging $7 a bed for up to 25 beds for men and 25 for women, said the Rev. Andy Bales, director of the mission at 545 S. San Pedro St. The shelter has 268 beds for men, and 208 for women.

From the fees collected, $5 a day will be used to pay for programs the mission runs, and $2 will be set aside as savings for the guest, Bales said. Several people have already volunteered to participate.

Within two months, the fees will be extended to some of the numerous families, many of them working homeless, who use the shelter, he said.

Kitty Davis-Walker, a spokeswoman for the mission, said that under the new program people would simply be asked whether they could afford to pay. Those who have the means would then be charged a bed fee, she said.

She said the mission was facing overflow, with residents sleeping on cots and tents set up in its chapel.

“It’s hard because we don’t turn anybody away, but we’re in overflow,” she said. “We’re dealing with it and trying to give the best care we can.”

Residents of the mission said they were surprised and disappointed about the new fees.

“It’s very upsetting,” said James Young, 60. “They’re supposed to be helping people.”

Young said he feared more shelters in the area would adopt similar policies.

“I can’t be optimistic,” he said.

Jeff McCracken, 42, has been living at the mission for the last month with his three young children. He said that he lost his job as a painter earlier this year and that the mission has provided him crucial support.

“It got us off the streets,” he said.

He said he would find a way to get by should the shelter start charging him, but for now he was at a loss for words.

“It hasn’t really hit us yet,” he said.

Jessica Harvey, 19, has been living at the mission for the last month with her 1-year-old daughter. She worried that the new plan would “put more homeless people on the streets of downtown.”

“We have nowhere else to stay,” she said of her and her daughter.

Bales said the change comes as the mission has experienced a huge increase in the number of people at its doors. He also said many working guests have been living at the shelter for months, sometimes years.

“They haven’t developed habits that will help them break free from homelessness,” he said. “I’ve always believed in the philosophy that people feel better about themselves when they pay their own way.”

Bales said he worked for many years at the Door of Faith Mission in Des Moines, where a third of the budget was paid for by homeless guests.

“It was the best mission I’ve ever seen and the most empowering mission,” Bales said.

But he emphasized that no guest would be turned away for lack of funds.

sam.quinones@latimes.com

sam.allen@latimes.com