L.A. releases locations for 13 temporary homeless shelters for coronavirus crisis

The city of Los Angeles on Thursday released the locations of 13 recreation centers that will become temporary shelters for homeless people as the coronavirus pandemic continues to grow.

The shelters will open Friday, and the city’s Department of Recreation and Parks is preparing gymnasiums, finalizing 24-hour schedules for employees and ordering supplies.

Beds will be placed 6 1/2 feet apart, department spokeswoman Ashley Rodriguez said, but she couldn’t immediately say how many would be provided.

“The department will provide beds, offer personal hygiene kits and make showers accessible,” Rodriguez said. “Meals will be provided with the support from other government agencies and nonprofit organizations.”

On Wednesday, Mayor Eric Garcetti said the city would convert 42 of its recreation centers into temporary shelters for homeless residents, providing 6,000 new beds. The 13 announced on Thursday are the first step.

“This isn’t about forcing people onto a bus,” Garcetti said during a briefing livestreamed on Facebook. “This is about letting people know if you stay out here, you are at great risk of potentially dying.”

Here are the locations of the 13 new shelters:

• Granada Hills Recreation Center, 16730 Chatsworth St., Granada Hills
• Hollywood Recreation Center, 1122 Cole Ave., Los Angeles
• Northridge Recreation Center, 18300 Lemarsh St., Northridge
• Westchester Recreation Center, 7000 W. Manchester Ave., Los Angeles
• North Hollywood Recreation Center, 11430 Chandler Blvd., North Hollywood
• Pan Pacific Recreation Center, 7600 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles
• Woodland Hills Recreation Center, 5858 Shoup Ave., Woodland Hills
• Westwood Recreation Center, 1350 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles
• Yosemite Recreation Center, 1840 Yosemite Drive, Los Angeles
• Central Recreation Center, 1357 E. 22nd St., Los Angeles
• Echo Park Community Center, 303 Patton St., Los Angeles
• Cheviot Hills Recreation Center, 2551 Motor Ave., Los Angeles
• 109th Recreation Center, 1464 East 109th St., Los Angeles

Also on Thursday, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority announced that it will extend the operations of its winter shelters, which had been scheduled to close as the end of March.

Some of the 900 beds at the shelters will be available through April 30, while others will remain through the end of September.

“During this crisis, it’s more important than ever to provide our unhoused neighbors with safe, clean places to shelter and practice good hygiene,” LAHSA’s interim executive director, Heidi Marston, said in a statement. “We’re grateful to our partners at the county and city of Los Angeles for their support to make this possible.”