ESCONDIDO - Escondido needs healing, Mel Takahara told a crowd of about 75 people whose faces were lit by the glow of candles Tuesday evening on the steps of City Hall.

Takahara, the program director for Escondido's Salvation Army, led the small crowd in a prayer vigil organized by community activists to show support for the organization's effort to open an emergency winter shelter.

Officials of the Salvation Army and Interfaith Community Services say they plan to ask the Escondido City Council this afternoon for permission to open a climate-activated shelter in its gymnasium, three weeks after the council rejected a similar request.

"I'm calling us to pray for those who are without shelter, those who are homeless, hungry, despairing," Takahara told the group.

Before the vigil began, Takahara said the event wasn't meant so much to get the council's attention, but to get God's attention.

"We know our city is in need of prayer," Takahara said. "The folks who are out there, cold in the city, are in need of prayer. Our council is in need of prayer."

If approved, the shelter would open only when temperatures drop below 40 degrees or there is rain, Salvation Army officials have said. It would be located at the Salvation Army at 1301 Las Villas Way, near the intersection of Centre City and El Norte parkways, and would operate through March 15, according to the city council meeting agenda.

No city funds would be used for the shelter.

When the request was made Dec. 20, every council member but Mayor Lori Holt Pfeiler opposed opening the shelter, citing concerns that an additional shelter would attract more homeless people to Escondido and that the city was doing more than its fair share to help the homeless of North County.

However, this week Councilman Dick Daniels said he would support the request, and Councilman Sam Abed said he would consider allowing the shelter to operate for a shorter time, perhaps up to 30 days. Council members Marie Waldron and Ed Gallo have said they are unlikely to approve the Salvation Army's request.

After the council's initial decision, the organization found a way to open its shelter for a time by becoming part of a regional winter shelter sponsored by area churches that rotates among North County communities. However, Sunday night was the last night the rotational shelter was scheduled to be in Escondido before moving to Poway.

The council also is expected to vote today on whether to authorize the city's participation in a North County task force on the homeless and to solicit participation in the task force from other North County cities. The council meets at 4 p.m. at City Hall, 201 N. Broadway.

During the candlelight vigil, community members and church leaders led the group in prayer with several Bible passages.

Among those at the vigil was Elisa Calzada, a retired social worker who has worked with the homeless. She said she couldn't believe it when the council rejected the request to open a shelter last month.

"It's absolutely incredible that they would have done such a thing," said Calzada, of Escondido. "The generalizations of how they characterize the homeless shows how ignorant they actually are."

Several people from outside Escondido also were at the vigil, including Rachel Wolfe of San Marcos.

Wolfe said she supports the idea of finding a regional solution to sheltering the homeless and said the city of San Marcos should do more as well. However, she said Escondido's city leaders shouldn't be so heartless.

"It's a humanitarian issue," Wolfe said. "There are people on the streets and we've been having cold snaps."

- Contact staff writer Paul Eakins at (760) 740-5420 or peakins@nctimes.com.