Thread: Costa Mesa, CA: Council shelves vote on funding

Council shelves vote on funding

Costa Mesa officials split over whether to accept money that would help homeless families find housing.
By Joseph Serna

Updated: Tuesday, September 1, 2009 10:31 PM PDT
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Nearly 150 struggling Costa Mesa families will wait two more weeks to see if the City Council will accept a federal grant to help them. The issue at hand is whether illegal immigrants could be among those who benefit from the $560,000.

With Councilman Eric Bever out of town, the council appeared split on whether to accept the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program grant, which would help struggling families in several ways.

The money would help families who recently became homeless, or on the brink of becoming so, by offering funds for rent, deposits, utility bills and moving costs.

Funds could also boost programs that help people find stable housing, legal services and credit repair.

In April, the City Council approved applying for the grant. In June, the city then sent out requests for proposals to local nonprofits and homeless shelters to see how they would use the grant money to help locals in need. Two organizations were chosen, and city staff recommended approving the money Tuesday night.

Mayor Allan Mansoor showed hesitation from the outset Tuesday when he learned that the immigration status of the families who could receive the money might not be checked.

“I understand the intent to help people,â€

Result of the vote two weeks later, claim to check the "ILLEGAL" status but did not indicate that they would NOT give taxmoney to the ILLEGALS :

Housing grant is accepted



Local nonprofits serving displaced families say they will check citizenship of patrons before helping them.

By Brianna Bailey
Updated: Tuesday, September 15, 2009 10:14 PM PDT
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The Costa Mesa City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to accept a $560,237 federal grant that will help struggling families stay in their homes.

The decision comes two weeks after officials tabled the matter over concerns that the money might assist illegal immigrants.

The two local nonprofits that will benefit from the grant, Mercy House and Serving People in Need, agreed to check the immigration status of their patrons to help allay the council’s concerns. Under federal law, Costa Mesa cannot require the nonprofit groups to check immigration status, but both organizations volunteered to do so.

“We will only serve legal residents — that is our history. That is what we’ve always done,â€

Any and Every taxpayer funded social service should HAVE TO VERIFY CITIZENSHIP!