Local organizations receive funds to battle homelessness

Local organizations fighting homeless get a boost from state and city.

This morning officials gave more than $250,000 dollars combined to local organizations to help in the fight against all types of homelessness.

WomanHaven and Catholic Charities each received funds on Friday morning at El Centro City Hall. The funds will to emergency housing efforts. City officials said there are over 600 homeless in the county, a majority of them in El Centro. They said the homeless face now includes people that we never suspected could become homeless, some of them victims of crime or the economy.

WomanHaven Judith Klein-Pritchard said, “These funds will go a long way to rapidly rehouse our clients that are homeless, that are victims of domestic violence.”

El Centro Council Member Alex Cardenas said, “We’ve got veterans that are in need of housing. We have transitional foster youth that are in need of housing. We have people suffering from mental health issues. And other folks that are victims of crime.”

State Assembly Member Eduardo Garcia said, “Children living in their vehicles with their parents because of unfortunate circumstances.”

Garcia said the funds will be monitored closely to make sure it goes to help those people in need.