Whittier Council Ties Social-Service Funding More Closely to Service for City Residents

The Whittier City Council unanimously approved revisions to the city’s social-services grant program Tuesday night, including a change intended to prevent nonprofit organizations from gaining an advantage merely because they maintain an address in Whittier.

Under the amended scoring system, more weight will be placed on the number or percentage of Whittier residents an organization actually serves. The council directed staff to remove agency location as a separate scoring category and redistribute those points toward documented service to city residents.

Councilmember Vicky Santana pressed for the change after questioning why an organization located inside Whittier could receive the same number of points as an outside organization directing all of its funded services toward Whittier residents.

“If they don’t serve any residents, they still get a zero, even if they’re in the city,” Santana said.

Councilmember Vicky Santana argues that nonprofit organizations should not receive scoring credit merely for having a Whittier address if they do not serve city residents during the Aug. 25, 2026, City Council meeting.

The council approved the revised recommendations on a 5–0 vote.

City funding should benefit city residents

The discussion centered on how Whittier distributes approximately $200,000 annually through nonprofit organizations providing mental-health care, food assistance, housing support and other social services.

Because Whittier does not operate its own full range of social-service departments, the city relies heavily on nonprofit organizations to provide many services residents need.

Mayor Pro Tem Mary Ann Pacheco, who participated in the committee review, said the revised process was designed to ensure organizations could demonstrate that Whittier residents would benefit from city funding.

“We really wanted to make sure that the people who were served were Whittier residents,” Pacheco said. “And we wanted to make sure that there was documentation of that.”

Pacheco said organizations located outside Whittier could remain eligible if they demonstrate that their programs serve city residents. She used The Whole Child as an example of an organization that may operate outside the city while providing substantial services to people living in Whittier.

The city’s current grant information states that eligible nonprofit organizations must serve Whittier residents. Applications are reviewed by the Social Services Commission, which forwards its funding recommendations to the City Council for final approval.

Council demands measurable results

Santana also emphasized that organizations receiving public money should be required to document their work and the results produced.

“These are our dollars—public dollars,” Santana said. “We need to make sure that we have outcomes and that we should be able to report to the public how we spent our $200,000.”

The scoring results, averages and funding recommendations will be presented to the council as part of the public record when the Social Services Commission returns with its recommendations.

City staff said funded organizations must sign agreements and submit periodic reports explaining how the money was spent. Under the previous process, an organization could receive part of its award initially and receive the remainder after demonstrating progress toward its promised goals.

Councilmember Aida Macedo asked whether the agreements could include stronger language allowing the city to recover money when an organization fails to spend it properly or complete its promised work.

The city attorney said the existing agreement allows the city to pursue remedies available under the law but does not contain explicit clawback language. Councilmembers agreed that stronger language could be added.

Funding increases by $23,000

The approved recommendations include a $23,000 increase, bringing the social-services funding pool to approximately $200,000.

Pacheco said the additional money would allow a limited expansion of services while preserving reporting and accountability requirements.

Councilmember Cathy Warner supported the increase but disputed a statement that social-services funding had not increased in 20 years. Warner said the council had increased the program’s funding several times over the years, although not annually.

Warner also supported the revised rubric, saying the city’s earlier system had been more subjective and offered organizations fewer clearly defined criteria.

Immigration-related trauma added

The revised program also identifies immigrants experiencing immigration-related trauma as a population eligible for specialized mental-health services.

Pacheco said the city previously provided emergency assistance for immediate needs such as food, utilities and school expenses following immigration-enforcement activity. The social-services grants would address longer-term effects, including children refusing to attend school because they fear immigration raids or the possible detention of family members.

“The trauma related to immigration hasn’t gone away and isn’t going to go away, I suspect, for a number of years,” Pacheco said.

She said the committee agreed that longer-term counseling and related services should be clearly identified so organizations know they may seek funding for such programs.

Separate report requested on earlier assistance

During the discussion, Santana also requested a public accounting from the Hispanic Outreach Task Force regarding money previously provided for emergency assistance connected to immigration enforcement.

Santana said she wanted the council to learn how the money had been spent and, if any remained, how the organization intended to use it. She said she understood that some assistance had been distributed through $250 microgrants.

Other councilmembers supported receiving the report. The request was treated as a separate matter from the social-services program revisions, and the discussion did not include any finding that the organization had misused the money.

The council’s action establishes the rules for the next funding process. Individual grant applications will first be evaluated by the Social Services Commission before returning to the City Council for final funding decisions.