Steve Bonnar, executive director of Sojourners’ Alliance, is looking for $125,000 to keep the group’s transitional housing facility functioning without laying off workers.
Bonnar asked the Moscow City Council’s Public Works/Finance Committee for $10,000 Monday.
He said he has been asking businesses that have helped support Sojourners’ Alliance for additional funding so it can reopen as soon as possible after it closes Sept. 1, but it has no commitments from anyone yet.
There is $25,000 in the legislative reserve – money saved for unforeseen funding issues – that the City Council can explore making available to Sojourners’, according to city officials.
City Councilor Art Bettge said the City Council will revisit the request during its July 18 meeting in hopes that Bonnar can explain better how he reached the $10,000 requested amount.
Sojourners’ Alliance lost a $100,000 grant it was expecting June 1, when the federal government suddenly changed the rules on what kind of housing programs for the homeless would be funded.
Dwight Curtis, parks and recreation director, presented alternatives for moving ahead with a rebid for downtown public restroom Monday. The City Council rejected bids on the project April 4 as too expensive.
On July 5, the City Council is expected to discuss his three primary options: rebid after modifying the existing design by Design West Architects to obtain better bids; seek bids on a similar modular unit; or delay the project.
Via the Moscow-Pullman Daily News