Royal Air Force conducting training at Paso Robles Municipal Airport
PASO ROBLES — The Royal Air Force (RAF) will be conducting training with their A-400M Atlas at the Paso Robles Municipal Airport. A report on the training was given by the Airport Commission at the Tuesday, Jan. 17, City Council meeting.
An open house to view the aircraft and meet the RAF will be held at a later date in February. There is no set date as to how long the RAF will be at the airport.
The city will be getting an update to its website. A preview of the new website was presented at the Tuesday night meeting and is expected to become live for the public within a few days. Additional content for the website will be updated and completed within a few months.
After being approved to receive funding from the city, the El Camino Homeless Organization (ECHO) presented its first-quarter report. In February 2022, ECHO approached the city and requested a one-time grant of $444,000 to cover staffing costs not paid by other funders for the 2022-2023 fiscal year. In August 2022, the city approved an agreement with ECHO, which requires ECHO to present quarterly accounting and statistical reports to the city prior to issuing funds. Payments to ECHO are not to exceed $222,000 per fiscal year of 2022-2023 and 2022-2024.
President/CEO of ECHO Wendy Lewis presented the following data collected from their first quarter:
- Unduplicated Nightly Shelter Stays: 271
- Unduplicated Nightly Shelter Stays (Children): 43
- Total Shelter Stays: 3,997
- Nightly People Turned Away: 678
- People in 90-Day Program: 92
- Dinners Served: 7179
- Showers Provided: 274
- No Cook Bags Given: 750
- Referrals to Mental Health: 24
- Referrals to Drug/Alcohol: 3
- Referrals to Other Resources: 20
- People Housed: 8
- People Found Employment: 14
Additionally, Lewis shared some recent success stories the shelter had.
The O’Dell family came to ECHO after falling on hard times. They were entered into our 90-day program where Robert (dad) worked diligently with case management to set goals, including help for his mental health issues. After a few months, their case manager was able to help them find permanent housing and find employment. The family loves their new home.
Jackie came to ECHO with just her car and some clothing. She was earning money by doing Instacart but wanted more for herself. She applied for a job at a local grocery store. She is doing so well at her job and enjoys it so much that she recommended three other clients apply there. All three have been hired and are planning to rent a house together.
ECHO is looking forward to partnering with Studios on the Park to host a Paso Robles based Empty Bowls fundraising event. The event is one of ECHO’s annual fundraisers that has previously been held in Atascadero.
Following the presentation and update, City Council unanimously approved issuing $55,000 to ECHO.
The next City Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 31, at 6:30 p.m.
