THOUSAND OAKS : Council OKs $20,000 for 3 Service Agencies

The Thousand Oaks City Council has doled out $20,000 to three organizations that help homeless or impoverished residents.

Lutheran Social Services and Catholic Charities will receive $5,000 each in Redevelopment Agency housing funds, in addition to the $8,000 apiece they received in federal block grant money. The Commission on Human Concerns was granted $10,000 for its program to help families in danger of being evicted.

Although pleased to receive some funding, Karen Ingram of Lutheran Social Services said the grant was not enough.

Her organization must turn down about a dozen requests for help a day because of a severe budget crunch. To make up that shortfall, Lutheran Social Services had asked the council for more than $36,000 to support its efforts to find housing for Conejo Valley citizens.

“It just means we’re able to help fewer people,” Ingram said. “But at least with this $5,000, we can do a little more than we had planned.”

At the Commission on Human Concerns, Executive Director Lee Riggan said she was delighted with Thousand Oaks’ grant, which comes on top of money from Camarillo, Fillmore, Ojai and Oxnard.

The money will be used to help Thousand Oaks residents find housing--or stave off eviction--through grants or loans. The $10,000 should cover the cost of helping about 15 families, Riggan said.