Lancaster officials say funding needed for emergency homeless shelter

LANCASTER, Calif. (KABC) -- Lancaster Mayor Rex Parris says with some homeless people migrating from downtown Los Angeles to the Antelope Valley, more attention should be focused on providing the High Desert with more resources to deal with the growing problem.

Grace Resources charity organizer Steve Baker says with an explosive homeless population continuing to grow in the Antelope Valley the area is facing a homeless crisis.

"I think there could be an uprising," Baker said. "They have no place to go. The people that we take care of, they're broken."

The Grace Resources center used to operate a year around shelter until it closed a couple of years ago for lack of funding.

Baker says if funding is not provided immediately for emergency shelter for the homeless along with other help, the Antelope Valley could be facing a nightmare.

"We've always kind of been the step child for L.A. County. We get the crumbs," Parris said. "The size of the problem is getting so big now, primarily because I think we're safer, we're safer than downtown L.A."

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