Agencies Aiding Homeless Share $6 Million in Grants

Nearly $6 million in federal grants was distributed Tuesday to 143 agencies serving an estimated 150,000 homeless throughout Los Angeles County.

Awards ranging from $2,200 to the Pomona Neighborhood Center to $418,919 for the Salvation Army totaled $5.7 million allocated to the county under the federal Stuart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act. The money supports programs offering food, shelter and rental assistance.

The recipients were selected by the Los Angeles Emergency Food and Shelter Program Local Board, a coalition of 21 local organizations headed by Gilbert D. Smith. “The government funds are helping stretch the donations and volunteer effort,” Smith said, “but it’s becoming more and more difficult to meet the most basic survival needs of these hundreds of thousands of people.”