An unlikely partnership

After snubbing a federal grant last month, local homeless services provider Stairways Programming has accepted the money and plans on handing it to the Torres Community Shelter sometime next week.

Stairways walked away from a $72,000 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant for a project to provide transitional housing for LGBT individuals (see “Crack in the continuum,” Newslines, July 20). Stairways’ executive director, Michael Madieros, cited a lack of support from and distrust of the Butte Countywide Homeless Continuum of Care (CoC), the body that administers the grants locally.

However, Madieros (pictured) told the CN&R on Tuesday (Aug. 8) that he has formed a new partnership with Kristina Carter, interim director of the Torres Shelter—an organization he has publicly criticized for its admission policies. The Torres Shelter will provide housing for the LGBT project and Stairways will provide supportive services.

Had Stairways not accepted the grant, the funding allocation could have been lost next year, according to CoC board member Ed Mayer.