VISTA — The Vista City Council agreed to provide $460,000 in one-time emergency funds to local family shelter Operation HOPE North County to bridge the organization’s budget shortfall for the remainder of the 2025 fiscal year.
Operation HOPE operates a 12-room temporary shelter in Vista for families and single women throughout North County and serves around 150 individuals annually, with over 60% of its clients being children.
The nonprofit relies on a combination of government funding, individual donors and foundations to cover its programs, including case management and other supportive services to help clients build self-sufficiency and independence.
Executive Director Esperanza Zapico told the council on Tuesday that the 34% shortfall in the group’s $1.3 million budget is mainly due to inflation, which impacts the costs for shelter services and supplies. The organization has also seen decreased donations across the board, likely due to recent economic uncertainty.
“If we don’t get this funding, we’re gonna be in a tight spot, and we’re gonna spend our next three months wondering, ‘what do we do? Do we close, do we lay off staff?’ We’ll be in a very frantic kind of mode over the next few months trying to figure out what that means for us,” Zapico said.
The Vista City Council unanimously agreed to provide the funds via a service contract with Operation HOPE, with the city manager to determine further details. The funding will support the organization through the end of June.
Council members Corinna Contreras and Jeff Fox, who brought forward the item, said Operation HOPE provides crucial community services that must be preserved.
“It came to our attention that they are anticipating a major financial hurdle, and that our community was at risk of losing an amazing resource, and so we wanted to bring it to council to see if there’s anything we could do to help this organization and make sure they’re able to survive this,” Fox said.
Council members also emphasized that they don’t want Operation HOPE to return to the same position next year. In addition to the cash infusion, Councilmember Katie Melendez said the city can partner more closely to support their long-term vision.
Mayor John Franklin, who first brought up the idea of the service contract, suggested that Operation HOPE also work with the city’s financial staff to look over their expenditures and revenues and identify areas where they can run more efficiently.
“There’s no question that the work you do is vital,” Franklin said. “I also want to make sure that we’re making an investment that is truly going to be a bridge, and not just elongate the cliff.”
Operation HOPE operates a high-barrier shelter, which means that clients are required to be sober and undergo drug testing during their stay. Zapico said this is crucial for creating a safe environment for children and women fleeing abusive situations.
However, she said Operation HOPE is also interested in operating a low-barrier shelter in the future to meet the needs of other individuals and make the organization eligible for additional funding.
In addition to the shelter, Operation HOPE also runs a food pantry and clothing boutique to help clients as they transition out of the shelter program. The pantry gives out around 100,000 pounds of food to families annually.
Melendez asked whether closing down the pantry and boutique could be a way for Operation HOPE to tighten up its funds. Zapico said that while they take a lot of time and energy to run, the pantry and boutique make up a tiny portion of the budget since almost all the food is donated.
Three Operation HOPE alumni spoke at the meeting about how the organization helped them in times of critical need and encouraged the city to support the organization so it can continue to help families.
Martha Avalos said she was living in an RV with her three kids after fleeing her ex-husband when they came to the shelter. Her family was able to live there for five months while she completed her bachelor’s degree and saved for an apartment.
Avalos is now pursuing a master’s degree in social work to support other survivors of domestic violence.
“I absolutely feel that programs such as Operation HOPE are necessary toward helping such victims. My hope is that more programs like this get developed around different committees. Operation HOPE was lifechanging for me, and it can do the same for others,” Avalos said.
