Neighborhood House, Campesinos Unidos, Center for Family Solutions, The Salvation Army, Sister Mourey Center have yet to receive the funds to help the needy to help pay their utility bills/rent. We are in the second week of February and all of the five agencies that receive funds say the same thing, that they are still waiting for the funds. Can you please find out when the funds will be available? Where do these agencies get the funds? From the United Way or from what source do they come from? — Needy, Imperial County
The funding has arrived and will be made available to the recipient agencies Feb. 16, when the local board in charge of disbursing the funds meets.
The money is federal Emergency Food and Shelter Program funding, which is then distributed by the Imperial County Emergency Food and Shelter Program board made up of various local service agency officials.
We spoke with Yereida Soto, the interim executive director of Center for Family Solutions who gave us the skinny on the funding. She said an e-mail sent out to the recipient organizations in December said gridlock in Congress had put a freeze on the funding, which was initially due in October.
The e-mail suggested member organizations of the county EFSP board write their congressman, U.S. Rep. Bob Filner, to demand the funding.
It’s not clear if that was done, but the funding is here, and the agencies will be trained how to disperse it Thursday night, Soto said.
Soto said the funding is small in contrast to the amount of local need. Center for Family Solutions, Salvation Army, Neighborhood House, Sister Evelyn Mourey Center and Campesinos Unidos Inc. will be sharing an equal portion of $12,000 for rental and mortgage assistance and $7,000 for utilities.
There is also funding coming for a supplemental food program, or food baskets, for Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, Campesinos Unidos and Niland’s Father’s Heart Street Ministries. Those organizations will share equally in $36,000.
This is the first allocation for fiscal 2012, and Soto said a second allocation is due, but she said it’s not yet known how much that will be.
The funding has arrived and will be made available to the recipient agencies Feb. 16, when the local board in charge of disbursing the funds meets.
The money is federal Emergency Food and Shelter Program funding, which is then distributed by the Imperial County Emergency Food and Shelter Program board made up of various local service agency officials.
We spoke with Yereida Soto, the interim executive director of Center for Family Solutions who gave us the skinny on the funding. She said an e-mail sent out to the recipient organizations in December said gridlock in Congress had put a freeze on the funding, which was initially due in October.
The e-mail suggested member organizations of the county EFSP board write their congressman, U.S. Rep. Bob Filner, to demand the funding.
It’s not clear if that was done, but the funding is here, and the agencies will be trained how to disperse it Thursday night, Soto said.
Soto said the funding is small in contrast to the amount of local need. Center for Family Solutions, Salvation Army, Neighborhood House, Sister Evelyn Mourey Center and Campesinos Unidos Inc. will be sharing an equal portion of $12,000 for rental and mortgage assistance and $7,000 for utilities.
There is also funding coming for a supplemental food program, or food baskets, for Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, Campesinos Unidos and Niland’s Father’s Heart Street Ministries. Those organizations will share equally in $36,000.
This is the first allocation for fiscal 2012, and Soto said a second allocation is due, but she said it’s not yet known how much that will be.
