HUD Funding to Assist Needy in Ventura

Fifteen programs designed to benefit the city’s homeless, disabled and low-income residents are set to receive more than $1 million in federal grant money. The City Council will decide Monday how much to award each project.

Every year, the city of Ventura receives funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to assist low-income families and to prevent or eliminate blight from the community.

Ventura officials expect to receive $1,050,000 in federal money this year, although that amount could change depending on the federal budget.

“It could be 10% more or less,” said Loretta McCarty, a project manager for the city’s Community Services Department. “We won’t know until the final budget is passed.”

But the city has alternative funding--about $450,000 in unused grant money--set aside in the event federal dollars fall short, McCarty said. With that safeguard in place, city staff members are recommending that the council approve the list of recommended projects.

That list includes $336,000 for the construction of sidewalks, curbs and gutters in the Ventura Avenue area--the largest amount of money set aside for any one project.

Leaders of the Westside Community Council say their neighborhood is in dire need of a face-lift. And because it is a low- to moderate-income area, they say a portion of the federal money should be directed their way.

“Whatever we can do for better lighting for the streets, curbs and sidewalks will really give the community a boost,” westside resident Maxine Culp said.

The Westside Community Council has also requested $3,000 to pay for increased trash service.

“We really want to upgrade the Ventura Avenue area,” said Lauri Flack, Westside Community Council chairwoman. “It’s all a matter of priorities. We are requesting to be included on the priority list.”

The westside group is on the list with more than a dozen other programs aimed at serving the needs of Ventura’s less privileged residents. If the council approves the list, all 15 programs would receive funding.

Some of those projects include $100,000 in low-interest loans for qualified homeowners to rehabilitate their homes, and $200,000 to help establish a transitional shelter for the city’s homeless.

The Camarillo Transitional Shelter was opened last year in response to floods that displaced about 100 homeless people living in the Ventura River bottom.

But the shelter closed in late January, and now there is no facility that provides temporary housing for the city’s homeless.

One lesson city officials said they learned from the floods was that a transitional shelter is a valuable community service, and one that warrants funding.

“The idea is to set aside some money and look for a transitional housing facility,” McCarty said.

Also included on the list is $258,200 to remove barriers at City Hall, Ventura Police Department headquarters and the historic Dudley House that restrict access for disabled residents.

Improvements are needed to bring the city in line with the Americans with Disabilities Act, officials said.

The city’s Homeless Employment Resource Operation, or HERO program, is also slated to receive federal money.

If approved by the council, the homeless-assistance program would receive $115,000 for an appraisal--and possible down payment--on a building it now rents on Riverside Street. The building is for sale.

The HERO program would also receive $55,400 in federal housing funds to develop job training opportunities.