Daytime refuge for the homeless in Oxnard gets apparent reprieve

Source: Ventura County Star, Calif.迷你倉Sept. 20--For a time, it looked grim: a nonprofit that serves 60 to 120 homeless people in Oxnard every weekday was on the verge of shutting down because of a snafu involving federal funds and the city of Oxnard."It's reached a crisis point," said Timothy Hockett, executive director of Community Action of Ventura County Inc..The nonprofit hasn't been paid since May from a roughly $126,000 grant provided by the federal Housing and Urban Development Department. The money, routed through the city of Oxnard, had been withheld by HUD because the agency wanted changes to the city's code of conduct, or list of rules a go-through agency must follow."None of the delay was the result of anything Community Action had fallen short of," Hockett said.Community Action, which has an annual budget of about $3 million and 35 employees, most full time, provides a range of services for the county's needy, including assistance for utility payments and household energy-efficiency projects, a food pantry and helps people signing up for the food assistance program known as CalFresh.The most visible operation, however, is its transition program for the homeless. The daytime drop-in center on Richmond Avenue in downtown Oxnard provides a safe place for people to take showers, do laundry, look for jobs and get valid IDs. On Wednesday mornings, other area service providers pull up to create a one-stop shop for attendees.As the months dragged on and Community Action received no payment, officials issued dire warnings.At the Sept. 9 meeting of Oxnard's Commission on Homelessness, the nonprofit's director of operations, Tim Hawkins, said his agency was more than $50,000 in the hole because of the nonpayment."We're going to have to shut our doors soon," he told the commission, saying the move would put 100-plus homeless people on the doorsteps of Oxnard businesses.Community Action had a substantial buffer five years ago, before the recession, but now "our reserves are gone," Hockett 迷你倉最平aid this week.Because of grant restrictions, money for other programs cannot be spent for drop-in center operations, he said. Two employees were at risk of being laid off.A regional spokeswoman for HUD said in an email Wednesday the funds in question could not be released until HUD approved the city's revised code of conduct, but when the situation was resolved the grant would be expedited. No timeline was provided.Hockett, who has also addressed the homelessness commission multiple times regarding the situation, sent letters to City Council members this week warning of the program's imminent closure. The move appeared to have spurred action, and by Friday morning the outlook had brightened a bit. The city appears willing to back the funding until the situation with HUD is resolved, he said."I'm very, very appreciative of their response," Hockett said Friday.Bill Wilkins, Oxnard's housing director, said the council needs to approve the item before Community Action gets paid, but a check could go out as early as next week. In the meantime, HUD has approved the city's conduct code and only a few minor items need to be worked out, he said.Going forward, groups such as Community Action could have an easier time with future grant applications. Earlier this month, HUD approved a move to merge Ventura County's two so-called "continuum of care" entities, which oversee services for the homeless. Previously, Oxnard ran its own continuum -- which handles HUD grants, such as the one awarded to Community Action -- while the Ventura County Homeless and Housing Coalition managed the other. Now, the county will manage a single entity. Service providers who previously had to double up on grant applications, reporting and monitoring will now have just one organization to deal with, officials say.On the Net:portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUDCopyright: ___ (c)2013 Ventura County Star (Camarillo, Calif.) Visit Ventura County Star (Camarillo, Calif.) at .vcstar.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉