Fillmore approves joint one-year agreement to fund Spirit of Santa Paula (Harvard) shelter
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Summary
The council authorized the city manager to sign a one-year agreement with Santa Paula and Ventura County to share operating costs of the Spirit of Santa Paula (Harvard) shelter, with Fillmore’s contribution budgeted at $150,000 for fiscal year 2025–26.
The Fillmore City Council authorized the city manager to sign a one-year agreement with the County of Ventura and the City of Santa Paula to share operational costs of the Spirit of Santa Paula (Harvard) shelter at 1498 E. Harvard Boulevard.
City staff said the proposed FY 2025–26 contribution for Fillmore is $150,000 and that the county will match the combined contributions of Santa Paula and Fillmore; Santa Paula’s contribution was described in the staff report as $200,000 for the same year. Staff noted the first two years of the city’s contributions were paid from ARPA funds, but the current-year payment would be from the city’s general fund and was budgeted in FY 2025–26.
Kaye Lisonbee Bolton, executive director of Spirit of Santa Paula (the shelter operator), gave an extended presentation describing current shelter operations: 49 beds, about 175 meals a day, eight behavioral-health-designated beds, and families and pets served. She described operational challenges including a recent nine-month delay in payments from Santa Paula, staffing turnover at the shelter’s executive level, increased insurance and workers’ compensation costs, and fundraising shortfalls. Bolton said the shelter is the only emergency shelter in the county accepting children and many clients arrive with complex needs.
Council members praised the shelter’s work and asked staff to authorize the agreement. A motion to authorize the city manager to sign the agreement — and to allow non-monetary edits subject to city attorney review — carried on a unanimous voice vote.
Staff noted the one-year term follows an amendment made to the original two-year agreement earlier in the fiscal period; the shelter operator said it plans to pursue additional funding streams and federal/state grants and is exploring alternatives (including tiny-home projects) to support transitional housing.
The agreement authorizes the city manager to sign and to make non-monetary edits as needed subject to city attorney approval.
