OXNARD : Shelter Residents Seek Housing Funds

One week after the Oxnard City Council agreed to seek $76,000 in federal money to fund a job training program for the homeless, residents of the Red Cross shelter in Oxnard pleaded with the council to spend the money on housing instead.

Several men from the shelter at the National Guard Armory, which is open only in the winter--said they will again be on the street when the shelter closes next Tuesday.

“When the armory closes on March 15, there will be (100) people on the street,” Robert Fratantonio said. “A job training program is nice, but without a permanent address first, it’s awfully hard to get a job.”

“This is a problem that’s not going away,” said Clifford Woods, who with Fratantonio organized a petition drive in support of providing emergency shelter beyond the closing date of the Red Cross shelter.

The men said they had gathered 1,400 signatures of Oxnard residents who support the shelter.

“We know what we need to do to get out of this situation,” Woods said. “A meal won’t help; four hours later and we’re hungry. We need a decent place to stay.”

Sal Gonzalez, Oxnard’s housing director, said later that the city has helped fund the Red Cross shelter, but cannot address the needs of the homeless on its own.

“There is a large population of homeless with a wide variety of needs,” he said.

“They need job training, health care and other services in addition to housing.”