OXNARD : Council Supports Shelter’s Grant Bid
The Oxnard City Council on Tuesday endorsed a homeless shelter’s grant request for $650,000 in federal funds, despite the council’s previous request that the shelter vacate its present site.
The council last April urged the Zoe Christian Center to move from Rose Avenue, saying the building is surrounded by industry and inappropriate for residential use.
However, council members voted unanimously to write a letter in support of the center’s efforts to get operating funds from the federal government. The council’s letter will avoid implying any approval of the Rose Avenue site, City Manager David Mora said.
“I think we have one of the best operations in the country, and I would urge the council to help us with this opportunity,” said the Rev. Jim Gilmer, Zoe’s director.
The Zoe Center asked that the council back its pitch to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for $400,000 to operate its Rose Avenue shelter and $250,000 for another facility it runs on Hayes Avenue.
A 1988 city report to HUD that identified the Rose Avenue site as a poor area for residential use already has hurt the homeless shelter in grant requests, Gilmer said. The grant could help expand education, health care, counseling and food supplies, he said.
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