NEWPORT BEACH : Agencies That Help Poor Share $400,000

The City Council has allocated more than $400,000 in federal funds for 22 social-service agencies serving the Newport Beach area.

The money is part of the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development’s annual Community Development Block Grant program and must be used to benefit low- and moderate-income people or expand the supply of affordable rentals.

The City Council unanimously approved the allocations recommended by the planning department. Decisions were made on the basis of the percentage of clients who live in Newport Beach, Senior Planner Craig Bluell said.

The city’s goals are to increase the number of low-cost rental units and provide recreational facilities and social services to low-income people, Bluell said.

Among the beneficiaries of the grants are the Friends in Service to Humanity, which operates Homeless Emergency Assistance and Mobile Meals programs for Newport Beach residents. FISH Executive Director Debby O’Connor said that without the grants, there would be little the agency could do.

“The grants enable us to help out with rental assistance and food assistance. . . . We can help the churches with transients, and we’ll sometimes help people who need the first and last months’ rent to get an apartment,” O’Connor said, adding that private donations are not sufficient to sustain the operation.