OJAI : 6 Programs Win Shares of U.S. Grant

Six out of the 13 public service programs competing for Ojai’s share of a federal grant won the City Council’s approval Tuesday.

“There is simply no way we can fund them all,” City Manager Andrew Belknap said.

Ojai will hand out $90,800--including $19,000 for administrative costs--from its community development block grant funds this year. The Ventura County Board of Supervisors must give final approval to the allocations but usually follows the city’s lead, Belknap said.

The council decided that $53,800 should be used for housing rehabilitation loans, which are administered by the Area Housing Authority and help low-income residents repair their homes, thus helping to ensure adequate housing stock for the slow-growth city.

Ojai’s housing counseling service, also administered by the Area Housing Authority, would receive $5,000.

The housing authority is expected to receive an additional $4,000 to rehabilitate a large home at 205 Park Road for low-income senior citizens on a two-year waiting list for condos at Whispering Oaks.

Foodshare Inc., which distributes food to needy families throughout the county, would receive $4,500 toward a new Oxnard warehouse.

A fifth program that provides an ombudsmen for residents in long-term convalescent care will receive $2,500. Another $2,000 will be reserved for HELP of Ojai, an agency that provides dozens of programs for area residents and has applied for a $60,000 state grant.