Undocumented, underage: shelters in border towns and cities are opening to house large numbers of immigrant children.(FEATURE)

ON OPPOSITE CORNERS of a small cul-de-sac near Pleasant Avenue and Cesar Chavez Boulevard in the mostly Latino neighborhood of Boyie Heights, Los Angeles are two buildings, painted white with blue trim, where 16 boys, mostly immigrant, make their home. Each resident has his own story--some came to the United States as young children; some just recently crossed the border. Most are undocumented. What they have in common is that somehow, either before they left home to make the trek to the United States or after they arrived, they found themselves alone. They are mostly without families, new to this country and without a real home.

Claretian missionary Father Richard Estrada opened La Posada Emergency Shelter, the smaller of the blue-and-white homes, in 1991 as a safe space for homeless immigrant youth. Residents can stay for up to 90 days to took for a job and save money. The second house, Casa Olivares, opened its doors recently and gives young people 18 months to commit to both work and school. Sixteen years after it was first founded, young men still arrive at La Posada almost weekly.

"A lot of times they get here and they still have injuries, or they're sick from making the trip across the border," said Guadalupe Rebolledo, an intake specialist for La Posada.

Often, all ...