Homeless, Housing Needs Cited in Requests for HUD Grants
Betty Rickords wants Los Angeles officials to use federal community development funds to build showers for the homeless, but a group of Panorama City investors says the need for affordable housing in the San Fernando Valley is more pressing.
Those were among the requests from residents throughout the city that officials will consider when they divide about $50 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, said Stephen Rodriguez, an administrator with the city’s Community Development Department.
Under federal regulations, the funds may be spent on improving housing for low- and moderate-income residents and on a variety of social programs, such as rape hot lines and AIDS projects.
Thursday, officials listened to requests from San Fernando Valley residents during a public hearing attended by 30 people in Pacoima. The hearing was one of four mandatory meetings to be held throughout Los Angeles this month under HUD guidelines.
“Housing is the most important problem facing poor people,” said Ken Mitchell, a Canoga Park businessman seeking funds for a Panorama City investment group to build low-income housing in Pacoima.
“It’s becoming more and more apparent that people cannot afford to buy houses and have places to live anymore,” he said.
But Rickords, a spokeswoman for the Valley Mayors’ Fund for the Homeless, said her nonprofit group believes building showers for the homeless is equally important. “Unless the homeless have a place to clean up, there’s no way they can find work,” she said, and showers are important for health reasons.
Yvonne E. Mariajimenez, an attorney for San Fernando Legal Services of Pacoima, said her nonprofit group is applying for HUD funds “to provide free legal services for indigent people who are faced with foreclosures, immigration and welfare problems.”
Rodriguez said city officials will begin reviewing applications in April from individuals and social service agencies for federal funds allocated for fiscal year 1990-91. Those attending the meeting were asked to fill out surveys, copies of which will be given to City Council members to assess community needs, he said.
The City Council has the final say over how the funds will be spent.
This fiscal year, Los Angeles received about $50 million from HUD, placing the city third in the nation in terms of size of grants after New York and Chicago, Rodriguez said. The federal agency allocates the grants based on population, income levels and age and condition of housing, he said.
Los Angeles will actually spend about $70.8 million in HUD funds this fiscal year because of money left over from previous years, Rodriguez said. More than half of the funds, or about $39.6 million, will be used to improve housing through low-interest loan programs and rental subsidies, he said.
Separate figures for the San Fernando Valley were not available.
The city will spend about $7.1 million on economic development, such as rehabilitating rundown commercial districts, including several strip malls on Van Nuys Boulevard in Van Nuys, Rodriguez said.
About $4.4 million will go to developing or improving neighborhood facilities, such as day-care centers and city libraries. Federal funds from HUD helped build the Boys and Girls Club of the San Fernando Valley, where the meeting was held Thursday, Rodriguez said.
The city has allocated $8.4 million for public services, such as rape hot lines and drug and anti-gang programs.
About $11.3 million of the funds will be used to pay for administering the HUD grants, including monitoring the recipients, Rodriguez said.
