Agency Hopes to Stay Open Despite Loss of Funding

The founder of a social service agency sees the cases of federal government surplus cheese stacked in his Warner Avenue office and wonders where the money will come from to keep his doors open.

But Jose Pena is determined to distribute the 3,000 pounds of cheese to low-income residents and confident he can continue operating his Pena Referral Center with or without federal funding.

“If we get the (private fund-raising) going,” Pena said Friday, “we will be all right.”

Slightly more than half of the agency’s income this year came from the $15,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds it received through City Hall.

But after six years of receiving the federal grants, Pena’s agency--which also provides food for the homeless, legal and housing assistance to the poor and other services--is one of 26 social service groups excluded from the funding list to be considered by the City Council at its meeting tonight.

The city’s $4.1-million federal allocation this year reflects a 13.8% increase over last year.

A point system was used by the city staff and a citizens advisory committee for the first time this year to determine a funding priority list. Out of 58 social service agencies requesting funding, Pena’s ranked 37.

Other social service agencies not recommended for funding included Catholic Charities, Keep America Beautiful, YWCA Child Care, Vietnamese Community, Clinica Nueva Esperanza and Pacific Symphony.

The recommended funding list includes $1 million for Bristol Street improvements, with an additional $625,000 going to other public works projects such as sidewalks, alleys and local street repairs.

Pena said he will make one last appeal to the council today but is already planning to invite entertainers to help raise money for the agency, which he said served more than 1,300 clients last month.