LV City Council to decide on allocation of grants

Judy Odierna

Tuesday, March 18, 2003 | 9:36 a.m.

The Las Vegas City Council is to divvy up more than $8.8 million in federal grants for social service and housing programs Wednesday.

But that's still millions of dollars short of what was requested by the organizations and agencies that will be receiving the checks from the city.

"There's always the problem of more need than funds available, and we live with that every day," Salvation Army spokesman Charles Desiderio said. "Every time another nonprofit opens up that cuts the contribution dollar more."

The Salvation Army is in line to receive $100,000 from the Community Development Block Grant construction funds to build new access ramps and other improvements to the organization's property at 33 W. Owens Ave. But the organization had requested $250,000 for that project.

"The city has been very generous to us over the long term, but there is only a certain amount of money to give out and we ask for what we need," Desiderio said. "Many times we'd like to get more, but we'd like to be realistic."

The City Council is to discuss and possibly approve the annual allocation of several categories of federal entitlement grants at 9 a.m. on Wednesday at City Hall, 400 Stewart Ave.

Community Development Block Grants make up more than $4.2 million of the money, followed by $3.4 million in Federal and State Home Investment Partnership funds and Low Income Housing Trust Funds.

Grants to Housing Opportunities For Persons With AIDS will mean at least 12 local programs helping people with AIDS will split more than $900,000 and at least 12 local agencies like Catholic Charities, Shade Tree and the Salvation Army will split $144,000 in funds from the Emergency Shelter Grant for homeless programs.

The Salvation Army will get $10,000 of the shelter grant money to provide emergency shelter, meals and access to services at 33 W. Owens, but the organization had requested $15,775.

The allocations are always less than the requests, but that is because the city receives a limited grant amount from the federal government, officials said. Neighborhood Services Director Sharon Segerblom said the city does not determine how much money it gets -- the grant money is based on the population and the numbers in poverty.

Which local agencies benefit from the dollars, and how much they get, is determined by a board of 24 citizens who spent three months reading each organization's application and interviewing them.

"There are a million reasons as to who gets funded and why," Segerblom said.

And only certain percentages of the city's take from the federal government can be spent on various functions. Only 15 percent of the Community Development Block Grant money can be spent on social services, for example, Segerblom said.

"One of keys is that an agency has to provide a new service or increase the number of people they are servicing with their grant," she said.

Construction is another key area of funding, because, unlike social service spending, an investment in a building provides a long-term tangible asset.

Brenda Dizon, executive director for Shade Tree, said her nonprofit applied for $574,716 in construction money, but is being recommended for $484,000 to construct a new parking lot, a security wall and for landscape improvements at 1 W. Owens Ave. Shade Tree is also in line to receive $15,000 in emergency shelter funds, but the organization sought $40,000.

Dizon said the city money isn't the only funding source that nonprofits like hers can turn to. Shade Tree, for example, is waiting to hear about grant money from Clark County and North Las Vegas.