A couple dozen or so homeless people living in a Thousand Oaks encampment are figuring out what to do after the closure last week of a center that provided them with free meals and more.

People in the camp have relied on the Lutheran Social Services Drop-In Center, which has operated in rent-free space in the Community Conscience complex at 80 E. Hillcrest Drive since 1988. They received food, clothing, use of a laundry, vouchers for motel rooms, showers and counseling, said Christopher Doyle, chief development officer at Lutheran Social Services of Southern California.

Years of deficits led to the decision to close the drop-in center, Doyle said.

Nearly all of the homeless people are trying to get admitted to the Navigation Center, a city-operated shelter that will be built at 1205 Lawrence Drive in Newbury Park, said county Sheriff’s Deputy Danny Lopez, who works with homeless populations. Nonprofit agencies can refer people to the shelter, which is due to offer temporary housing and programs to help people find permanent housing.

The shelter will open later this year, according to Thousand Oaks city officials.

The drop-in center was open Mondays through Fridays before it closed June 26. Starting next week, Lutheran Social Services plans to send a van to the Hillcrest site once or twice a week to provide food, clothing and hygiene kits.

Officials at the agency also hope to send the van to other locations in Thousand Oaks and eventually to more Ventura County cities, Doyle said.

Last week, the staff at the drop-in center moved a half-mile away to Lutheran Social Services’ new office at 468 Pennsfield Place. Clients can get help for emergency needs, housing and counseling at that office, but must make appointments, Doyle said. They were provided with a phone number to call for assistance at 805-497-6207.

Given the short distance to the new office, most of the homeless people are likely to continue camping at the Hillcrest Drive site, Lopez said. Some have already told him they won’t leave, he said.

Meanwhile, other nonprofit agencies could be stepping up to help them.

In a June 18 email to supporters, administrator Denise Cortes said the Harbor House agency expects additional homeless people to come to its Thousand Oaks site for daily meals because of the drop-in center’s closure.

Harbor House is located at 430 E. Avenida De Los Arboles, Suite 108, three miles from the drop-in center.

Homeless individuals can get there by bicycle or on a nearby bus, Lopez said. He said many have told him they already get food at Harbor House.

Lutheran Social Services has done a good job of referring people living in the encampment to other services such as the Manna Conejo Valley Food Bank, Lopez said. The food bank operates at 95 N. Oakview Drive, about two miles away.

The encampment’s presence raised safety concerns for employees of the drop-in center, who felt intimidated at times by the demeanor of some of the people who stayed there, Doyle said. But he added none of the staff was attacked.

Last year, there were eight incidents of violence involving the homeless people at the site, Lopez said.

They varied from minor battery to domestic disputes, he said, adding there were 18 lesser disturbances.

Some of the homeless residents show signs of mental illness or substance abuse, the deputy said.

“Then there are people who have just fallen down on their luck,” he said.

In addition to safety, cost was a major reason for closing the Drop-In Center, Doyle said.

Lutheran Social Services could no longer afford to operate the center in the face of a $150,000 deficit that was projected for the fiscal year that began Monday, he said.

“We’ve been running deficits for a number of years and taking money out of other counties to keep Ventura County afloat,” Doyle said.

Donations in the county have fallen during recent years, Doyle said, adding it’s difficult to find government grants to cover the nonprofit’s emergency services. Contributions are accepted at lsssc.org/donate.

Dave Mason covers East County for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at dave.mason@vcstar.com or 805-437-0232.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Lutheran Social Services closes drop-in center aiding homeless in TO