Taskforce readies housing grants
Extending its commitment to continuum of care aimed at rehousing homeless while minimizing trauma, the Imperial Valley Homeless Taskforce prepared two grants for the Internet for Valley nonprofits to compete for.
Ken Wuytens, executive director of United Way and one of 100 agency representatives invited to Catholic Charities on Orange Avenue Thursday, received a consensus vote of support to divide a California Emergency Solutions Grant into two parts and have local agencies bid for awards. The grant originates from the Department of Housing and Community Development. Half the fund, $267,000 is earmarked for rapid rehousing and the other half is for transitional housing.
Agencies supported Wuytens to divide the ESG fund into a $200,000 and a $67,000 award. Application notice will be posted on the Homeless Taskforce and United Way’s Websites by next week.
Eligibility for the grants will be designed into the application itself. An online tool, Homeless Management Information System, is used as a database cross-referencing for individuals who have sought assistance from agencies. The HMIS network is intended to prevent those who attempt to game the system with applications at multiple agencies and protect the identity of domestic violence victims from abusers.
Agencies will have two weeks to apply for the awards. Grant awards are expected to be announced in the latter half of October with funds disbursed over a 20-month period. Funded agencies could be such as the Sister Evelyn Morey Center. Grants also cover job training, health/behavioral health and other case management services to avoid recidivism.
“It’s a complex issue,” said Wuytens. “It’s a tough situation but we’re trying to cover all different aspects of homelessness.”
Citing human trafficking as the fastest-growing criminal enterprise, Deborah Owen, Imperial County assistant district attorney, addressed the audience with a forum on the Public Safety & Rehabilitation Act of 2016 (Governor’s Initiative) also known as Proposition 57, which voters can decide on this fall.
Owen contended the title of the initiative itself is misleading. It implies it will make citizens safer. But there is nothing in the title that suggests releasing felons from prison as the state is under federal pressure to relieve overcrowded penitentiaries. But Prop 57 could result in the release of many violent criminals.
Owen provided several examples of possible consequences. The current sentence for rape under intoxication is 25 years to life, with parole available after 25 years. But under Prop 57, offenders could be released after eight years. In another case, assault with a knife will bring 18 years with parole available after 15 1/3 years yet Prop 57 would allow parole after four years.
While the rehabilitation act aims to reduce overcrowding through release of nonviolent offenders, the problem is that the common-sense conception of violent does not match the penal code for violent, noted Owen. Under Prop 57, the law would not consider the following violent: rape by intoxication, rape of an unconscious person, human trafficking involving sex with minors, drive-by shooting, assault with a deadly weapon, taking a hostage and domestic violence.
Prop 57 also removes sentencing discretion from judges and places it with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. “The reason we’ve had lower crime rates these last decades is because we put criminals in prison,” said Owen. “The intent of Prop 57 while noble, drastically reduces sentences for inmates serving consecutive sentences, for multiple crimes, repeat offenders and those whose crimes are aggravated.”