Mission Viejo : School District Gets Grant It Didn’t Seek

Having received few requests for about $380,000 in federal grant money, the Planning Commission this week recommended giving $20,000 to a local school district that didn’t even apply for the funds.

After receiving a grant application from the Saddleback Valley Unified School District for its after-school day-care program, city officials notified the Capistrano Valley Unified School District--which has several schools in Mission Viejo--of its eligibility for the same funds.

At the Planning Commission meeting, Planner Mary Oien told commissioners she wanted to see all children in Mission Viejo get the opportunity for reduced-rate child care.

In allocating the rest of the money, the commission recommended passing out the bulk of federal Community Block Development Grant funds to city housing programs. Block grant funds are intended to develop affordable housing and help low-income residents repair their homes.

The city set aside $181,500 to develop housing for senior citizens and $100,000 to rehabilitate existing residences.

Only three service organizations applied for about $57,000 of the grant funds set aside for social needs.

The two school districts would receive $40,000 between them. The commissioners approved giving $12,500 to the Olive Crest home for abused children, and Saddleback Community Enterprises, which teaches employment skills to mentally challenged people, received $5,000.

Olive Crest plans to use the grant to repair its facility and expand programs. Saddleback Community Enterprises said it would buy a computer to help its job-training program.