Jurupa Valley panel recommends $150,000 in community service grants, awards majority to Path of Life

The Community Development Advisory Committee on March 13 recommended allocating $150,000 in community service grant funds, approving a package that directs $100,000 to Path of Life and smaller awards to local youth and senior programs.

Committee Chair Ruiz and city staff said the committee is forwarding its recommendations to the Jurupa Valley City Council for final approval on April 3. Amy Sells, the city staff lead for the grant process, told the panel the city received applications totaling $368,000 in requests while only $150,000 was available. “We received applications that totaled $368,000 in requested funds when we only have $150,000 to allocate,” Sells said.

Why it matters: The grants are funded through a federal program that requires detailed reporting to HUD; staff told the committee that administering multiple small awards requires intake and income documentation for each program participant and year-end CAPER reporting. Robert, a city staff member who oversees compliance, described the paperwork burden and the need for nonprofits to collect race, ethnicity and income data for each benefit recipient when reporting to HUD.

Discussion and applicant responses

Before the committee began deliberations, Tom Donahue of Family Service Association described the organization’s senior meal program at the Eddie D. Smith Senior Center and explained why his group requested funding. “This year, we anticipate we'll be serving over 208, unduplicated seniors ... and we'll serve almost 13,000 meals,” Donahue said, adding the program faced a roughly 30% cut from the county contract at the start of the fiscal year and has had to reduce staff and other costs.

Committee members questioned whether nonprofits could absorb larger awards than they requested and whether smaller $5,000 awards are administratively efficient given HUD reporting requirements. Robert said the city must collect intake forms and supporting documentation for each client and then submit a CAPER performance report to HUD, and that the administrative burden does not scale down proportionally for small awards.

Representatives from several applicant organizations answered capacity questions. Patty Treba, representing the Jurupa District Lions Club, said the club could use extra funding for senior and family assistance and would work with staff to provide the required paperwork. Wesley, representing the Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center, described space, animal care and field-trip needs and said additional funds would support education programs and enclosures.

Allocations and action

After discussion and some numerical adjustments among committee members, the panel voted to forward the following recommendations to the City Council: Path of Life — $100,000; Family Service Association — $25,000; Corona Norco YMCA — $5,000; Girls on the Run — $5,000; Jurupa District Lions Club — $5,000; Jurupa Football and Cheer — $5,000; Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center — $5,000. Chat With Me Therapeutic, Goodwill Southern California and Planet Life received no recommended funding. Committee members moved and seconded the recommendation and recorded the motion as approved with all in favor and none opposed; the committee invited members to attend the April 3 council meeting in case councilors ask questions about the recommendations.

What the vote does and next steps

The committee’s recommendation is advisory; the City Council has final authority and could alter amounts or recipients on April 3. Staff encouraged applicants to be prepared to demonstrate they can expend larger awards and to have intake and recordkeeping systems in place for HUD reporting. Sells reminded applicants that the city will open a separate community service grants application cycle in July and encouraged reapplication.

Ending

The committee adjourned with a reminder that the council meeting on April 3 is the next step for the recommended allocations and that applicants with questions can follow up with Amy Sells at amysells@jurupavalley.org.