Oxnard-based Christian nonprofit Rescue Mission Alliance will take over local homeless shelter Spirit of Santa Paula.
The Santa Paula City Council voted unanimously on June 17 to approve an agreement providing an additional $50,000 dollars in financial support for the operation of a permanent, year-round homeless shelter. As part of the approval, there will be a three-year transition of operations to the Rescue Mission Alliance.
The alliance, which began serving the homeless in 1972 from its first location on 6th Street in Oxnard, has expanded to include thrift stores and ministries in the Antelope Valley, San Fernando Valley and beyond, according to its website.
When will the name change?
The shelter will cease to exist as Spirit of Santa Paula in October, and its programs, personnel and vehicles are set to become part of the nonprofit Rescue Mission Alliance, said Kay Wilson-Bolton, volunteer director for the Spirit of Santa Paula, now known as the Harvard Navigation Center.
“We are glad to see the legacy continue,” Wilson-Bolton said. “Small nonprofits have a tough time raising adequate funds, and we realized the desperation in 2023 when we faced closing because we did not have the funding we needed.”
Will the operations change with the transfer?
Clint Garman, the alliance’s vice president of partnerships and engagement, said during the meeting that the organization plans to operate the center in the same way as it is now, at least during the first year, to learn “exactly what they’re doing.”
Councilmember Jenny Crosswhite thanked Wilson-Bolton for her years of service to a standing ovation.
“There was a time when we didn’t have much of anything to help our unhoused neighbors, and I know this has been a labor of love for you,” Crosswhite said.
The city also approved an agreement to extend the existing contract with Spirit of Santa Paula, which was set to expire on July 1, to Oct. 1, said James Mason, community and economic development director for the city, during the meeting.
The homeless shelter is funded by the cities of Santa Paula, Fillmore and Ventura County.
In the original contract, Santa Paula contributes $200,000 per year, Fillmore contributes $150,000 and the county contributes a matching amount of $350,000, Mason said.
How much additional money will Santa Paula pay?
Under the new agreement to cover the months before the operation is formally taken over by the Rescue Mission Alliance, Santa Paula will contribute $50,000, Fillmore will contribute $37,500 and Ventura County will contribute $87,500, he said.
Spirit of Santa Paula planned to work with Rescue Mission Alliance to take over operations on July 1 but extended it to Oct. 1 because Santa Paula needed more time to put together an agreement with Fillmore and Ventura County for the transfer of responsibility, Mason said.
The request for three years is to allow for the transition and ensure sustainability, he said.
More formal negotiations with the Mission Rescue Alliance will return to the City Council, Mason said.
Wes Woods II covers West County for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at wesley.woodsii@vcstar.com, 805-437-0262 or @JournoWes.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Oxnard-based Christian nonprofit to run Santa Paula homeless shelter
Reporting by Wes Woods II, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Wes Woods II, Ventura County Star | USA TODAY Network
