VENTURA : Council OKs $35,600 for Homeless Aid

The Ventura City Council early Tuesday agreed to spend $35,600 to continue operating its assistance program for river-bottom dwellers displaced by the January floods.

But because Monday’s meeting lasted past midnight, council members delayed action on two proposed ordinances that would have restricted panhandling and outlawed sleeping in many public places.

Due to the late hour, council members also delayed taking steps to search for a director to manage a $100,000 community development block grant aimed at establishing a service center for homeless people.

After heavy rains flooded the Ventura River last month and hundreds of people who lived in the river bottom were cleared out, the city established a temporary center to help the flood victims.

On Jan. 24, the Homeless Emergency Relocation Operation--HERO--was opened on Ventura Avenue. It provides veterans services, job-placement services, drug and alcohol counseling and a number of other programs for those seeking help.

But the center is set to close March 31, even with the funds spent by the council early Tuesday.