Hollister
Two local shelters are seeking funds after being turned down for federal dollars.
Neither the local battered women’s shelter Emmaus House nor the Homeless Task Force, which operates the county’s winter homeless shelter, received the Federal Emergency Shelter Grants they had applied for and could face budget shortfalls or reduced services in the coming months.
Kathy Ruiz, who chairs the Homeless Task Force’s board of directors, said the winter shelter will open on schedule in November. But it may have to close early if more money isn’t found, she said.
“We wouldn’t have anything for next year as well – that’s the worst,” Ruiz said.
Ruiz and Emmaus House Executive Director Dale Yarmuth said their organizations are busy applying for grants. Emmaus House has enough money to continue operating through June 2008, Yarmuth said.
“I’m hopeful we will be able to maintain the services,” he said. “It will be tight come the middle of next year.”
Both groups are the only ones of their kind in San Benito County, according to a county staff report. Yarmuth said Emmaus House, which opened its doors a year ago today, is usually 80 percent or 90 percent full.
“It is a necessary facility to have here in this county,” he said.
County Health and Human Services Director Kathy Flores helped Emmaus House and the Homeless Task Force apply for the $66,000 grants, which would be spent over two years. Collectively, California’s shelters applied for twice as much money as was available statewide, Flores said.
The federal grants are distributed in California by the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development. Tom Monahan, chief of homeless and housing assistance at the HCD, confirmed that more half the grant applicants did not receive funding. In the rating process, San Benito County’s shelters were “significantly below the threshold that gets funded,” Monahan said.
“The general sense from the little time I’ve had to look into it is that they would have benefited from attending (our) training,” he said.
At the request of the Community Action Board, which advises the Board of Supervisors, both groups have met with the Community Foundation and are looking at different strategies to weather any financial difficulties. The groups will also bring their concerns to the Board of Supervisors at today’s meeting, and Yarmuth said he will probably ask San Benito County and other local governments for money.
“I really think it’s important to keep those two programs going,” said County Supervisor Pat Loe. “I’m sure at some point, we’re going to need to help in some way.”
It’s premature to specify what form that help will take, she said. Loe sits on the board of directors for Emmaus House and the Homeless Task Force, so she plans to recuse herself from any county decisions.
Despite the bad news, Ruiz said the task force isn’t panicking yet.
“I guess we should be more forlorn,” she said. “But you know, we came from nothing. We’ll find some way to make it work.”
Anthony Ha covers local government for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or [email protected].
