MODESTO — Turlock’s We Care homeless shelter will receive more than $250,000 to bolster its wrap-around services thanks to a vote on Tuesday by the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors.

We Care will get $172,715 in Community Development Block Grant money for its substance abuse counseling/treatment program, and another $81,033 in Emergency Services Grant money to be used for its rapid rehousing program.

“It really just means more wrap-around services for the guys that we’re serving, and the community and county at large,” said Sandy Singh, president of We Care’s board of directors. “For the substance abuse, we have a really successful partnership with La Familia (counseling center), which we’re going to strengthen. We also partner with other agencies in our town and Modesto.

“The rapid rehousing, that’s a program we’ve put a lot of work and effort into. It’s been really hard to find housing, and our case managers over the last couple of years have built strong relationships with property management companies that are willing to rent to us.”

Additionally, Turlock Gospel Mission received $30,543 in CDBG money to expand its Nourish Kitchen, while the Children’s Crisis Center of Ceres and Turlock was given $35,543.

The supervisors’ action is in stark contrast to that of the Turlock City Council, which voted in April to not help We Care secure $270,000 in state funds that would have gone directly to shelter operations. Since then, the Stanislaus Community Foundation, United Way, and Kaiser have stepped up to assist We Care with about $100,000 in total contributions.

“What We Care is proposing is exactly what we’ve needed to get going and that’s why they ranked so high in this funding,” said District 3 Supervisor Terry Withrow, who sits on the Community Development Committee, which evaluates and prioritizes funding requests. “This is not something that you can just say, ‘We don’t have a problem here; we’re going to kick (the homeless) out of our city.’ It is a problem everywhere and it has to be dealt with. It’s been very difficult — and I’m just speaking personally — over the years in trying to work with Turlock to help with the situation there.

“I can tell you that We Care is doing the Lord’s work and we very much appreciate what’s going on there.”

According to the county’s most recent point-in-time count of its homeless population, conducted in January, the number of counted homeless reached 241 in Turlock, up from 201 the previous year. For the county as a whole, the number of homeless was 2,086, up a tick from 2,052 in 2024.

“There is a divide in Turlock; I can’t even explain it myself,” said District 2 Supervisor Vito Chiesa, who represents the city. “The CEO (Jody Hayes) and myself are having a meeting in Turlock with the mayor (Amy Bublak) in the next week or so, and this will be one of the topics — what we can do to make sure this is a cohesive strategy.”