Bridge to Home, Santa Clarita’s only homeless shelter, received a $200,000 grant from the office of Supervisor Kathryn Barger Friday after another funding opportunity was canceled.

Barger, who represents Santa Clarita as part of the Fifth District, proposed a motion for the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) to submit comprehensive quarterly financial reports to the Board of Supervisors that detail expenditures to date and provide funding availability.

“My motion intends to ensure that LAHSA operates with greater accountability and transparency moving forward,” said Barger. “In the interim, I am pleased to immediately provide the full gap funding necessary to ensure that Bridge to Home can deliver year-round shelter and supportive services for our Santa Clarita Valley community.”

For Bridge to Home, the support is “extremely necessary” to continue to assist some of the community’s most vulnerable citizens, according to officials.

“We appreciate Supervisor Barger’s effort to close this gap and look forward to meeting our goal of providing full-service programs to individuals experiencing homelessness all year round,” said Mike Foley, executive director of Bridge to Home.

Without this funding, the shelter was expected to close at the end of March, and not re-open until December.

“It was so heartbreaking seeing them pack their things up and then having nowhere to go,” said Chris Najarro, director of programs. “It leaves you feeling a little hopeless and like you aren’t doing what you promised to do.”

But now the shelter is set to keep their doors open, until additional grant funding is made available in July, according to Bridge to Home officials.

Barger’s motion also calls for increased transparency by requiring advance notice of any significant developments and fiscal shifts impacting service contracts, such as the potential cancellation of a Request for Proposals (RFP).

The action was prompted by LAHSA’s recent closure of a September RFP process for interim housing funding, which left six service providers across the County without funding, including Bridge to Home.

The service providers were not notified of this closure until December and no notification was provided to the Board of Supervisors, according to officials.

“I want to thank the City of Santa Clarita and Bridge to Home for their continued partnership in our collective efforts to combat homelessness,” said Barger.

The motion will be heard at the Board’s next meeting on Jan. 8, 2019.

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