Members of the public who want to donate directly to or interact with evacuees are not allowed to do so, some of the evacuees said.
"We're not in jail. We're human just like y'all," said Troy Greenup, 33. "We lost a lot.... I'm not trying to come off angry, but I'm hurting."
The evacuees were assisted by community residents, including longtime community activist Edna Aliewine of South Los Angeles, who heard word of the concerns and started organizing.
"Everybody's giving donations," she said, "but the donations are not going where they're supposed to go."
Some of the evacuees had made their concerns known to Dream Center officials before the news conference.
Hanley said church leaders responded to a list of demands from some hurricane survivors by adding cable television and stocking the kitchens on each floor of the Dream Center. He said he thought the complaints were from a minority of guests.
Thus far, the center has not conducted drug tests of evacuees, Hanley said.
Times staff writer William Lobdell contributed to this report.
