Surprise council to divvy funds for needy

Homeless shelter not on city’s list

Surprise City Council members will decide this month which non-profits serving the city’s most needy residents will get a share of federal funds.

Planning commissioners balked at a plan to spend more than half of the money on a program that employs 16 lowincome teenagers for the summer. Instead, they recommended giving some of that money to a non-profit that serves the elderly and lowincome families with children.

Other non-profits, whose applications for funding were denied, would serve a greater number of Surprise families in dire need, commissioners said.

“I personally place more priority on food and shelter than sports and youth employment,” said Planning Commissioner Steven Somers at a meeting in March, after he saw the initial recommendation from the city’s Neighborhood Services division.

Council members will make the final decision on how to divide the city’s $67,500 allotment for non-profits at a public hearing Tuesday.

When the federal government distributes Community Development Block Grants around the nation each year, it leaves local spending decisions to cities.

Federal guidelines allow Surprise to spend 15 percent of its total $450,000 grant on public-service agencies that serve low- to moderate-income residents.

Surprise will use the remaining 85 percent of the grant to demolish blighted buildings, build new sidewalks and make emergency repairs at homes owned by people with low or moderate incomes. The city will spend $90,000 of the grant money on related salaries, supplies and consultant fees.

Christina Ramirez, the city’s Neighborhood Services supervisor, defended the decision to give such a large portion to the year-old youth-employment program.

City staff relied on priorities set by the city in 2010 when evaluating five non-profit applications for the federal funds, she said, adding that employment for young people was high on that list.

Applicants were the city’s Neighborhood Services division, which runs the youth-employment program, St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance, Arizona Charter Academy, Benevilla and Central Arizona Shelter Services.

City staffers had recommended giving $17,500 to the food bank; $12,000 to Arizona Charter Academy, which runs summer sports and literacy programs for hundreds of lowincome youths; and $38,000 to pay 16 teenagers in the city’s own youth-employment program.

The city awarded funds to Benevilla, a non-profit that delivers hot meals to seniors and offers day care for adults and children, in 2010 and 2011 but not in 2012. It was left off the list again in 2013, as was Central Arizona Shelter Services, a non-profit that aids homeless people.

Jane Bruzzese, Benevilla’s program director, said that state and federal spending cuts have left many families on waiting lists for organizations that serve seniors.

“We are the only alternative in Surprise for a hot, fullcourse home-delivered meal,” Bruzzese said.

The commissioners reduced the recommended amount for the city’s youthemployment program to $24,000. That is enough to help 10 teenagers who come from families that earn 80 percent of Maricopa County’s median income, which is about $56,000, or less.

Commissioners awarded the $14,000 cut from the youthemployment program to Benevilla.

“Helping the homeless, the destitute, people who need our help the most is what this money should be used for,” said Commissioner Jerry Hoyler.