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Pasadena Sun, CA
May 19 2012
Funding for youth, senior programs slashed
Demand for Pasadena grants rises even as the amount available gets smaller.
By Adolfo Flores, [email protected]
May 19, 2012| 11:23 a.m.
Agencies that care for some of the city's most vulnerable people are
hurting after seeing federal grant funds reduced this week.
Every year Pasadena hands out millions of dollars in federal Community
Development Block Grants to groups that assist the poor, seniors and
children with everything from housing and healthcare to tutoring. This
year the city had about $3.2 million in CDBG and housing grant funds
to hand out, down $717,000 over the past two years.
Even as the funding has fallen, the demand has increased. Twenty-three
eligible groups applied for public and human services grants this
year, including eight first-time applicants. Ten did not receive any
funding.
`CDBG has been hit at one of the hardest rates,' Pasadena Housing
Department Director Bill Huang said. `We're definitely in a
perfect-storm situation.'
El Centro de Accion Social received funding for its senior program and
repairs to its building in Pasadena's Central Park, but executive
director Randy Jurado Ertll saw his request for $25,000 for youth
programs rejected.
Ertll said his program helps more 200 low-income youth throughout
Pasadena. The city has funded both the senior and youth programs for
the past 14 years.
`I know it's tough times, but I don't think youth education programs
should be cut,' Ertll told the council this week. `We need the city to
support longstanding, well known nonprofits that do effective work.'
The Armenian Relief Society, which was funded for the past 20 years,
also will not receive the $25,000 it requested.
Sona Zinzalian, director of the society, told the City Council that
her organization is a one-stop shop for low-income residents, seniors
and political refugees of Armenian descent.
`We see an ever-growing need, we are the bridge between the community
and society at large,' Zinzalian said. `We strongly encourage you to
reconsider.'
Councilman Victor Gordo and Councilwoman Margaret McAustin suggested
the city help organizations that were not awarded grant money to
recover funds through other means.
`The programs at both El Centro and Armenian Relief are important and
we should provide whatever technical advice we can to help make up the
dollars that are being lost,' Gordo said.
Meanwhile, the city is considering changing its formula for awarding
grants. This year the city set out to make fewer grants, but to make
them go farther by offering the full amount requested to the agencies
that ranked best in meeting the city's priorities.
The possible shortcomings of that policy surfaced immediately, as
Neighborhood Housing Service of Los Angeles County, which
rehabilitates homes for low-income residents, requested $250,000 and
scored the highest in city rankings. If the city funded Neighborhood
Housing Service's entire request it would use up about 80% of
available housing funds.
City officials identified an additional federal grant that would allow
it to provide the full $250,000 to the Neighborhood Housing Service
this year, and decided to revisit its overall grant funding policies
next year.
http://www.pasadenasun.com/news/tn-pas-0520-demand-for-pasadena-nonprofit-funding-rises,0,2212432.story
May 19 2012
Funding for youth, senior programs slashed
Demand for Pasadena grants rises even as the amount available gets smaller.
By Adolfo Flores, [email protected]
May 19, 2012| 11:23 a.m.
Agencies that care for some of the city's most vulnerable people are
hurting after seeing federal grant funds reduced this week.
Every year Pasadena hands out millions of dollars in federal Community
Development Block Grants to groups that assist the poor, seniors and
children with everything from housing and healthcare to tutoring. This
year the city had about $3.2 million in CDBG and housing grant funds
to hand out, down $717,000 over the past two years.
Even as the funding has fallen, the demand has increased. Twenty-three
eligible groups applied for public and human services grants this
year, including eight first-time applicants. Ten did not receive any
funding.
`CDBG has been hit at one of the hardest rates,' Pasadena Housing
Department Director Bill Huang said. `We're definitely in a
perfect-storm situation.'
El Centro de Accion Social received funding for its senior program and
repairs to its building in Pasadena's Central Park, but executive
director Randy Jurado Ertll saw his request for $25,000 for youth
programs rejected.
Ertll said his program helps more 200 low-income youth throughout
Pasadena. The city has funded both the senior and youth programs for
the past 14 years.
`I know it's tough times, but I don't think youth education programs
should be cut,' Ertll told the council this week. `We need the city to
support longstanding, well known nonprofits that do effective work.'
The Armenian Relief Society, which was funded for the past 20 years,
also will not receive the $25,000 it requested.
Sona Zinzalian, director of the society, told the City Council that
her organization is a one-stop shop for low-income residents, seniors
and political refugees of Armenian descent.
`We see an ever-growing need, we are the bridge between the community
and society at large,' Zinzalian said. `We strongly encourage you to
reconsider.'
Councilman Victor Gordo and Councilwoman Margaret McAustin suggested
the city help organizations that were not awarded grant money to
recover funds through other means.
`The programs at both El Centro and Armenian Relief are important and
we should provide whatever technical advice we can to help make up the
dollars that are being lost,' Gordo said.
Meanwhile, the city is considering changing its formula for awarding
grants. This year the city set out to make fewer grants, but to make
them go farther by offering the full amount requested to the agencies
that ranked best in meeting the city's priorities.
The possible shortcomings of that policy surfaced immediately, as
Neighborhood Housing Service of Los Angeles County, which
rehabilitates homes for low-income residents, requested $250,000 and
scored the highest in city rankings. If the city funded Neighborhood
Housing Service's entire request it would use up about 80% of
available housing funds.
City officials identified an additional federal grant that would allow
it to provide the full $250,000 to the Neighborhood Housing Service
this year, and decided to revisit its overall grant funding policies
next year.
http://www.pasadenasun.com/news/tn-pas-0520-demand-for-pasadena-nonprofit-funding-rises,0,2212432.story