Community organizations that service low income residents in Oakwood from offices in the Vera Davis McClendon Youth and Family Center at 610 California Avenue are worried that they are about to lose their happy home.

They learned only on March 28 that the building, which was the old Venice library, was being transferred from the jurisdiction of the Community Development Department, which serves the poor, to the Cultural Affairs Department.

Currently, there are six organizations at the Center. They are the Latino Resource Organization, Venice 2000, Venice Bulldogs, Venice Arts and the Mildred Cursh Foundation. In addition, it is the site of popular meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, plus regular food distributions, free computer access and food stamp applications, all of which may have to relocate if the building is taken over by Cultural Affairs.

The change of purpose is being done without any community meetings or announcements to the community, although apparently at least two officers of the Venice Neighborhood Council were informed but did not pass on the information. Several demands for community input have been made to Cultural Affairs.