County 9-24

County homeless programs will receive $829,000 in funds as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, announced 3rd District Supervisor Doreen Farr on 9/22. The money-Transition House and Casa Esperanza jointly get $442,973, while the Legal Aid Foundation and the Rental Housing Mediation Task Force jointly get $42,000-will largely help economically disadvantaged people pay security deposits, rent, and other fees related to acquiring and maintaining housing.

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Human rights investigator Peter Bouckaert spoke on 9/22 at Montecito’s Birnam Wood Golf Club about his work for Human Rights Watch. The UCSB grad-who’s been one of the first watchdogs in such places as Kosovo, Chechnya, and the Central African Republic-helped direct the international organization to become a more proactive force for protecting lives. Bouckaert is most concerned about Yemen, where he recently saw uprisings in the north and south, with unchecked government aggression everywhere.