ON THE AGENDA: Planning Commission Meets Monday, November 4
Proposal before Housing and Homeless Committee study session prompts questions
Updated 11/3/24: About 30 minutes after we published this article, the city issued an amended agenda. They added a missing staff report to the Molding Hearts proposal and placed it behind an I Compass wall unless the agenda is downloaded — probably an accident. In order to help our readers view the proposal we are attaching it here.
To avoid conflicting with election day on Tuesday, November 5, with polls open until 8 pm, the Planning Committee meeting has moved forward a day to Monday, November 4, at 5 pm.
The Planning Committee itself has no agenda for this meeting. Instead, the time will be given over to hearing a proposal included in the agenda packet (linked here) from Molding Hearts during a Housing and Homeless Committee study session.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Because there is no agenda for the meeting except for the Study Session, the meeting will probably begin with public comments—a short meeting is often a good opportunity for your voice to be heard.
Fill out a green comment sheet for public or agenda item comments and hand it to the staff, usually sitting at the desk at the front of the room on the right side. You have three minutes to make your comments.
Regarding public comment during the study session, come prepared to only be allowed to speak once for three minutes.
You may also email comments to Planning Commission members and Keith Gardner, the Community Development Director, and request that comments be read at the meeting.
STUDY SESSION: HOUSING AND HOMELESS COMMITTEE
The Housing and Homeless Committee study sessions and meetings typically are not livestreamed. Because housing is an issue that keeps getting kicked down the road by the City Council and is so crucial for the community, the Desert Trumpet will be attending and reporting on the meeting.
We Have Questions
Molding Hearts, a nonprofit based in Corona, will present an ambitious proposal to “virtually end homelessness in the City of 29 Palms.” They propose to partner with the City to:
Provide emergency temporary housing for the homeless
Find a long-term payor source by leveraging contracts with county and federal agencies
Assist the vulnerable with rehabilitation services and basic needs to prevent criminal vagrant behaviors.
To do this, Molding Hearts requests a grant from the City of $24,999.99—squeaking just below the $25,000 cap that calls for a competitive bid.
Molding Hearts will:
“Goal #1: In conjunction with SBSD and San Bernadino Probation Department remove all homeless people from the streets of the City of 29 Palms within 24-72 hours of receiving funding.
Goal #2: Provide long term placement/ housing for the clients that we will absorb off the street. We have contracts with SB County Services that would allow us to house most individuals for up to 1 year.
Goal #3: Molding Hearts leadership team to initiate [word missing] homeless encampments, bi-weekly street outreach and monthly intake.”
While the goal of “virtually ending homelessness” is admirable, we hope that the Housing and Homeless Committee takes a close look at this proposal and consider the legality of sheriffs and probation officers rounding up the homeless. It is also unclear, for example, what Goal 3 proposes. The Committee should look into Molding Hearts’ track record and whether the organization has succeeded in the past. In the 2023 San Bernardino count of the unhoused, 75 people were tracked. Can Molding Hearts provide the services it proposes for 75 men, women, and children for $24,999.99 or about $333.33 per person?
The Molding Hearts mission statement as listed on the proposal is to “end homelessness in San Bernardino County by providing compassionate and comprehensive housing solutions for vulnerable individuals. We offer emergency, transitional, and shared permanent housing for youth exiting foster care, formerly incarcerated individuals, and those experiencing homelessness. Through a supportive and empowering environment, we strive to foster stability, self-sufficiency, and a sense of belonging, ensuring everyone can rebuild their lives and achieve their full potential.” However, on LinkedIn and in the organization’s 990 form, the organization’s “aim is to educate, find employment and empower adults afflicted with developmental disabilities.”
Data in the public record do not clarify what the staff structure and track record of Molding Hearts has been. Molding Hearts has a 79 out of 100 rating on Charity Navigator, often used by federal, state, and county agencies; donors; and charitable foundations to look at the health and viability of a nonprofit. The profile notes that “If this organization aligns with your passions and values, you can give with confidence.”
The organization, however, is not listed with the state’s Registry of Charities and Fundraisers. Based on IRS Form 990, according to the Charity Navigator report, Molding Hearts had revenues of nearly $2.5 million and $3 million in 2020 and 2021, with expenses nearly equaling revenue, and slightly more than $500,000 in 2022, with expenses less than one quarter of the revenue.
In Molding Hearts’ 2023 990 form, revenue was listed as $2,304,509, salaries as $1,017, 596, and other expenses as $1,194,796. Total salaries are difficult to ascertain as the figure listed on the front page of the 990 doesn’t reconcile with figures listed elsewhere in the tax return. Revenue sources are not given. No key staff or their salaries are listed as required. A National Provider Identifier (NPI) index of healthcare providers indicates Molding Hearts is connected with Reliance Hospice in Palm Desert and has specialties in community and behavioral health, in-home supportive care, and charitable organizations.
Lakita Johnson is the president of Molding Hearts, and it is unclear if the organization has any other staff. Per public record, Johnson lives in Yucca Valley and has a current California real estate license. In August, she was recognized by the Basin Wide Foundation for Molding Hearts’ work connecting homeless youth to resources.
We look forward to a discussion of the Molding Hearts proposal at Monday’s Housing and Homeless Committee study session and hearing some answers to these questions.
Leave your thoughts in the comments below. Please note that we do not allow anonymous comments. Please be sure your first and last name is on your profile prior to commenting. Anonymous comments will be deleted.
Feel free to share this article!
Many communities in the Morongo Basin are economically disadvantaged, so our coverage will always be free. However, if you have the means to support our work, we always appreciate upgrades to a paid subscription. Your upgrade helps keep subscriptions free for those who cannot afford to donate.
Note that donations in excess of $100 are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law, and your subscription/donation will be listed as AHA Projects, the name of our fiscal receiver, on your statement. Donations over $100 can be also made via the AHA Paypal.
What a racket. The usual suits patting each other on the back for a job well done at the program's end.
I would expect the efficiency ratio of dollar spent per "client" assisted to be poor and when the funding is dried up the "clients" will simply have drifted on to some other location.