Homeless task force not a county entity

I would like to thank the Daily Bee and Keith Kinnaird for the article about the loss our Department of Justice grant. The article has caused some confusion regarding our affiliation with Bonner County, which I felt needed clarification.

The Bonner County Homeless Task Force is a private, non-profit corporation founded in 1994 by a group of Sandpoint citizens. We receive no county funding. All of the services which the Bonner County Homeless Task Force provides are paid for by grants, local donors and fees charged to transitional housing residents.

The Department of Justice grant is applied for by the Bonner County Homeless Task Force and we are the only name listed on the grant as grantee. The homeless task force then signs a contract with Bonner County for the services of the Victim Advocate Services Team. The VAST advocates are employees of Bonner County.

The Bonner County Homeless Task Force, with Justice Department funding, operates a safe house, pays for professional counseling for both shelter and non-shelter victims, provides transportation, food, clothing, educational services to victims in the shelter, and pays the salaries of the domestic violence shelter staff.

The Bonner County Prosecutor's Office submits an invoice to the homeless task force for the contracted salaries of the VAST advocates.

I hope the above will help our community to understand that the Bonner County Homeless Task Force is not a county entity and receives no financial support from Bonner County.

DEBORAH BAPTIST

Executive director

Bonner County

Homeless Task Force