Manuel lives in an alley in Wilmington. He is 41 years old, his only resume a three-page rap sheet that lists his criminal accomplishments: several robberies, a kidnaping, a drive-by shooting. But he says he went straight--"I don't even jaywalk anymore"--when he was released from San Quentin in 1980.

On Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, Manuel leaves his alley to walk about five miles to the Crossing, an interdenominational Christian mission at the corner of 7th and Centre streets in downtown San Pedro.

There, he finds a hot meal and spiritual guidance.

Manuel, however, is worried about the Crossing's future. The building is up for sale, and there is some uncertainty about whether the mission will be able to raise enough money to buy the property so that it can continue its work there.

'It's the Only Hope'

"Not only is this place needed, but a lot of other places like this are needed," he said. "If it wasn't for places like this, where else could people eat? . . . It's the only hope that the poor people have. If the well-to-do people take this away, then there's nothing else."

Although no "well-to-do" person is proposing to abolish the Crossing, Manuel is not entirely off track.

The spiraling cost of living in San Pedro is making it increasingly difficult for nonprofit social service agencies such as the Crossing to do business there. As property values escalate, some social service providers are wondering whether they--along with the poor people they serve--will eventually be squeezed out of a community that for decades has been populated mostly by the working class.

"The increasing land value of San Pedro makes it very difficult to sustain a low-income population," said Howard Uller, executive director of Toberman Settlement House, a social service agency in the Barton Hill section of San Pedro.

Said David Christiansen, executive director of Harbor Interfaith Shelter, which provides housing for 17 homeless families: "It's real clear that parts of Lomita and Harbor City and Wilmington and other areas seem to be a lot more affordable than San Pedro.

'Getting More Expensive'

"The land values have gone up so fast in the last two or three years, it has made it very difficult for anybody to do business here, either nonprofit or for-profit. It's just expensive for everybody, and it's getting more expensive."