Salinas presentation: homelessness programs rely on expiring grants; city urged to decide which services to sustain

Community Development Director Yeraline Hernandez told a mock Salinas City Council on July 25 that homelessness “is a growing challenge affecting individuals, families, and our community as a whole,” and that the city’s response programs are “heavily dependent upon grant funding.”

Hernandez said Salinas is home to 50% of Monterey County’s homeless population and presented program-level spending and capacity figures as staff urged the council to provide direction on which services to continue when grants expire. “With grant funding running out on most of the programs and services, the city will need to determine what programs and services it would like to continue and to identify a funding source,” she said.

The presentation laid out the city’s current homelessness portfolio and recommended next steps. Hernandez listed fiscal-year expenditures by category: $20,200,000 for emergency shelter; $15,100,000 for homeless prevention; $3,600,000 for rapid rehousing; $8,900,000 for street outreach; $7,900,000 for housing acquisition; and $1,900,000 for administration. She said the city’s permanent supportive-housing stock includes motel conversions and small homes — naming Salinas Inn, Sanborn…