Grant will help Turlock renters

By Ken Carlson

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TURLOCK -- The state has awarded $1.5 million in federal recovery money to provide rental assistance for Turlock residents hit hard by the recession.

It's part of $42.7 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding distributed to local governments and nonprofit agencies in California to help families or individuals who are homeless or on the verge of being homeless.

The funding is not for the chronically homeless or families that can't afford their mortgage, but for those facing eviction because of job losses, catastrophic medical bills, or the death or disabil-ity of a breadwinner in the home. Women left homeless by domestic violence also qualify for the assistance.

The grant was awarded this week to the nonprofit Stanislaus Community Assistance Project, which worked with the city of Turlock and other groups to apply.

Turlock isn't eligible for emergency shelter grants from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, so it is collaborating with SCAP, the Children's Crisis Center of Stanislaus County, United Samaritans Foundation, Salvation Army and the We Care Program in Turlock, said Maryn Pitt, community housing program manager for Turlock.

Helping hundreds, thousands

Over the next three years, the groups expect to help hundreds or even a few thousand people who are threatened with homelessness.

Potential recipients will be screened to make sure they meet income and residency guidelines, the groups said.

"The valley is getting hit hard," said William Gibbs, director of development for SCAP. "We want to help people who out of no fault of their own are losing their housing."

The program provides up to 18 months of rental assistance; help with finding affordable housing; mediation with property owners; or assistance with security deposits, utilities or moving expenses. The goal is to keep families in their homes but gradually decrease the rental assistance so they are encouraged to become self-sufficient, Pitt said.

The Stanislaus Community Assistance Program provides a range of services for people living with AIDS-HIV, mental disorders and other disabilities, and some of those folks will receive assistance through the grant, Gibbs said.

The other organizations will receive a share of the funding to assist people referred to them.

"It might be helping a family living in a car to get back into a stable home," Pitt said. "Sometimes, it might be just paying a utility bill obligation so they don't have their water and power shut off."

Gibbs said the money paid to landlords or utility companies tends to circulate back into the community to stimulate the economy. The California Department of Housing and Community Development considered more than 85 applications before awarding grants to 31 agencies and local governments.

Bee staff writer Ken Carlson can be reached at kcarlson@modbee.com or 578-2321.