Lathrop City Council gave its blessing to the five non-profits requesting allotments from the city’s Community Development Block Grant funding from the Federal department of Housing and Urban Development.
According to the report prepared for the council, staff irecommended that San Joaquin Fair Housing, Give Every Child a Chance, Emergency Food Bank of Stockton/San Joaquin, the Emergency Food Bank Meals on Wheels and Women’s Center Youth and Family Services will reach receive a portion of the $92,952 that is being dispersed by the federal government to help local communities.
GECAC will receive the largest portion of the allotment — $5,451.80 of the $8,000 they requested of the city – while Women’s Center Youth and Family Services will receive $5,000 of the $8,000 the organization requested. San Joaquin Fair Housing will receive the full amount of $1,250 that was requested of the city, as will the San Joaquin Emergency Food Bank at $1,000 and the Meals on Wheels Program at $1,000.
The remainder of the funding - $83,050 – will go towards Americans with Disabilities Act upgrades for Lathrop City Hall in the form of ADA ramp improvements, additional strike edge clearance, and an ADA kiosk inside of the lobby of city hall.
An additional $30,506 will be made available for the city’s homebuyer down-payment assistance program and housing rehabilitation programs – both of which will be applied to help offset the rising cost of housing in the Northern San Joaquin Valley.
Since the start of the pandemic Lathrop has been at the forefront of finding financing to help members of the community that need it. Using an obscure fund that River Islands pays into to offset the fact that houses are being built in the area before an amusement park is constructed – tied to the failed Gold Rush City project that was initially proposed – has allowed the city to supplement other funding sources to provide much-needed grants for families that are struggling due to economic hardships tied to the pandemic as well as small-businesses that were impacted by forced business closures.
The Lathrop City Council meets on the second Monday of every month at Lathrop City Hall – located at 390 Towne Centre Drive. For additional information, or to stream the meetings live they take place, visit the City of Lathrop’s website at www.ci.lathrop.ca.us.
To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.
