ECHO and CAPSLO to receive financial support for shelter and care services
PASO ROBLES — Two local nonprofits will be receiving funds from the City of Paso Robles after the City Council approved the delegation of some public service funding at its Tuesday, Dec. 19, meeting.
The funds come from the city’s 2024 Community Development Block Grant Program. The CDBG is a federal program that supports community development activities intended to build stronger communities.
The city received over $128,000 in public improvement grants for use in 2024. These funds are intended for the Riverside Avenue Pedestrian Improvements Project, which will upgrade the accessible path along the west side of Riverside Avenue from 18th Street to 21st Street. This involves filling dirt or gravel locations with ADA-compliant concrete facilities. In collaboration with the 2032 CDBG grant for Riverside Avenue, the project plans to build 12 missing or non-compliant curb ramps, 450 linear feet of missing sidewalk, and four ADA-compliant driveway approaches. All activities will be conducted within the existing Riverside Avenue right of way as a single project phase.
For the Public Service portion of the grant, the city received $29,715 of the $40,793 requested funds. The city received applications from several San Luis Obispo County-based nonprofits, however, because the full $40,000 wasn’t received, some cuts were made.
The city received applications from the following:
El Camino Homeless Organization (ECHO) is seeking $9,960 to support the Emergency Shelter Services of the Home Key Project on Black Oak Drive in Paso Robles. ECHO provides 70 24/7 Emergency Shelter beds at their Paso Robles Campus as well as individualized case management services, community shower programs, nightly dinner programs and more. The requested funds will assist in supporting the Paso campuses emergency shelter services, case management, and supportive services that have helped over 193 individuals and families experiencing homelessness get back into stable housing in 2023.
CAPSLO is requesting $14,500 for its Adult Day Center (ADC) in Paso Robles, the county’s only nonprofit adult day care center. ADC serves up to 20 seniors daily, offering nutritious meals, mentally stimulating activities, and caregiver respite. The funds will support maintaining a quality environment for low-income adults with Alzheimer’s, dementia, and cognitive impairments.
5 Cities Homeless Coalition (5CHC) seeks $16,333 for its Homeless and Rental Assistance Programs, providing emergency subsistence and deposit payments with case management services. The program aims to prevent homelessness by offering short-term assistance, benefits determination, client resource center access, transportation and utilities assistance, family reunification opportunities, and documentation assistance following a coordinated entry assessment and progressive engagement model. 5CHC aims to quickly identify and address barriers to gaining or maintaining housing.
Though 5CHC provides many services in Paso Robles, some councilmembers felt the city should prioritize the organizations physically in the city due to not receiving as many grant funds this year as previous years.
“Thank you to all of the organizations that are helping our homeless and our needy folks,” said Councilmember Steve Gregory. “We appreciate everybody but we only have so much to go around and this is important for our city.”
Council approved with a 5-0 vote to delegate $14,500 to CAPSLO and $15,215 to ECHO.
A public hearing is scheduled during the Tuesday, March 5, 2024, City Council meeting, which will officially delegate the funds to projects and organizations.
The next Paso Robles City Council meeting is scheduled for Jan. 16, 2024, at 6:30 p.m.
