H.B. looks to extend nonprofit’s lease for youth shelter

Huntington Beach council members directed city staff Monday to negotiate a lease extension with Community Service Programs through June 2017 to allow the nonprofit to continue operating its youth shelter while the city determines whether to put the shelter operations up for bid as funding sources dwindle.

The lease is currently scheduled to expire Jan. 1, 2016.

The council would need to approve an extended lease agreement at a future meeting.

The 12-bed Huntington Beach Youth Shelter, which serves runaway, homeless and other at-risk youths ages 11 to 17, was started in 1989 by a group of residents who wanted to establish a temporary home for minors.

Since 2006, Huntington Beach has leased the building at 7291 Talbert Ave. to the nonprofit Community Service Programs for $1 per year.

The shelter has had funding issues recently. In 2014, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ended funding for Community Service Programs because of budget cuts. The Santa Ana-based nonprofit was receiving $100,000 to $200,000 per year from the federal agency.

The shelter is receiving funding from Orange County, though that deal is scheduled to expire June 30, 2017.

Running the shelter costs about $1.5 million per year, according to shelter director Elsa Greenfield.

Donations from residents and businesses such as AES and the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach resort have helped keep it afloat.

The city has been aware of the financial issues for some time. Though council members at a study session Monday favored extending Community Service Programs’ lease, they could have opted to let the lease expire Jan. 1 and request proposals from other nonprofit operators.

As the extended lease nears its end, the city could decide to extend Community Service Programs again or put the operation up for bid by that group and others.

“The city sees this as a service and a resource and the city has, in a positive way, been concerned about our difficulty of raising the dollars,” Greenfield said. “I think they care about the shelter and the program.”

She said she is unconcerned about the possibility of having to bid to run the shelter.

During the past decade, the facility has aided 1,080 children and teenagers, including 210 Huntington Beach residents. The others were from neighboring cities or out of state.

The program has reunited about 90% of its clients with their families, Greenfield said.

Councilman Erik Peterson said Monday that he wants to ensure that Huntington Beach residents receive help from the shelter before those from outside the city.

Councilman Billy O’Connell, who founded the Huntington Beach nonprofit Colette’s Children’s Home, which helps homeless women and their children, said the city cannot be preferential. “We have to be careful that we don’t discriminate against anybody,” he said.