PASTOR SAM GALLUCCI called me early this morning. Worry colored his voice. After months of dotting every I and crossing every T, endless fundraising, outreach and lots of prayer, his beloved Kingdom Center project for the homeless was on the verge of getting final approval from the Ventura Planning Commission. Yet, he had hit a snag.

It seems a certain neighboring and rather powerful law firm was kicking up a fuss over the project. And despite having the considerable legal muscle of the Ventura County District Attorney and incoming Ventura Police Chief on his side, a recent meeting with the lawyers left this tireless advocate for the homeless even more disconcerted.

"Come out and support the project tonight," Sam asked. The most persuasive guy in Ventura, Pastor Sam of the Harbor Church could sell me swampland. He can even get me to sit through a long, long Planning Commission meeting.

As it turned out, Sam's worries were for nothing. To a standing-room only crowd, the commission unanimously approved a conditional use permit, variance and coastal development permit for the project located in the old City Center Motel at 837 Thompson Blvd.

"This is God's work you're doing," Commission Chair Martin Johnson told him. "This is really, really something."

I'VE BEEN A BIG cheerleader for this project since I discovered it last summer. And it is heartening to see the groundswell of support come for it from every corner of the community. Thirty local churches representing 20,000 people have signed on to help renovate the formerly run-down motel which sits right in the middle of an area frequented by much of the city's homeless population. 

The 30 transitional units will house individuals who are looking for a way out of their situation. The program will be run by Lutheran Social Services and will have 24-hour on-site professional security.  A separate daytime outreach program will operate between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. "What we provide is an alternative during the day to where they already are -- sleeping in yards, hanging around in neighborhoods," Gallucci said.

"It's well thought out," the pastor said of the project while pointing to his already existing program for the homeless at the Harbor Church on Preble Ave. "The current program is operating very successfully next to an elementary school and a day care," he added.

Yet the Kingdom Center had a few detractors tonight -- nearby property and business owners and the aforementioned law firm who voiced fears about some negative behaviors among the local homeless population and wanted assurances their concerns would be addressed.

However, as many others pointed out, these issues existed long before the project took shape. "The area around this project will never be safer than when we are there," Gallucci said.

"I think this is a wonderful thing," Commissioner Dan Long said. "They've got all their ducks in a row now."

The project's approval brought cheers and many smiling faces from the large crowd of local pastors and others who had gathered. The Harbor Church's work in uniting the faith community around this project has been precedent setting.

The first residents will move in soon. "We want to help 12 families get in by Christmas," Gallucci said.

To donate to the project, go here.

WHILE IT IS THE JOB of a minister to be both inspiring and compassionate, Pastor Sam Gallucci of the Harbor Community Church in Ventura was undoubtedly standing in line for an extra big helping of these qualities when God was passing them out.

The effusive Gallucci is now helping to pass out food, clean clothing and friendship to the area's homeless population. And it is impossible not to get caught up in the enthusiasm of this tireless spokesman for the efforts of his 65-member congregation.

As Gallucci explains it, "We started this by going out in the parks and the river bottom and asking folks, 'What do you need?' " As it turns out, it was "101 different things."

The church provides two meals a day, showers, laundry and help with social services to around 50 to 80 people daily. They serve 100-140 meals a day and have helped more than 500 people over the past year. "We've stopped 12 from taking their lives and 40 we've helped get work," Gallucci said. "Over 90 have gone through detox."

Others have received assistance getting their GEDs and acquiring identification.

"It's a miracle of God that a church so small can do so much," Gallucci said.

But while the church is doing great work, the parishioners realize that once their daytime efforts are finished, the recipients of their generosity are back out on the streets at night. "We'll just love on them for awhile and then we won't see them for a long time," Gallucci lamented.

AND THAT'S where miracle number two comes in. "God provided us just a perfect situation," the pastor said. The owners of the City Center Motel in Downtown Ventura, near to much of the city's homeless population, entered into a lease agreement with the church to turn the aging facility into a center for 30 homeless families.

Gallucci made an appeal to other churches in the area to help and so far 15 have made a firm commitment to sponsor one of the motel's 30 rooms. A one-time donation of $5,700 helps to renovate a room; a $500 monthly donation sponsors the family living in it. The church is seeking another $500,000 to add a kitchen, laundry area and meeting facility to the project.

There is also an immediate need of $64,000 for architectural and permit fees for the project, Gallucci said. 

And while there is currently a shortage of funds to complete the project there is certainly no shortage of enthusiasm around town for the Kingdom Center and the congregation's current efforts at their Preble Avenue church. Homeless advocate Sherry Cash certainly sings their praises. Something as simple as a shower and a change of clothes can make all the difference, she said. "As soon as people start getting clean, things change."

The homeless population has just exploded in the last year, Gallucci said. An estimated 623 are homeless in Ventura, according to the area's latest counts. The county count stands at 2,193.

The Harbor's congregation also works toward transitioning these folks back into society. The need is so great, the pastor said. "The homeless have lost their ability to believe in anything. They're treated like they're different. I call it a new level of segregation. It's an economic segregation. It could be any of us.

"So many people say it's the city's problem," Galucci said. "It's all of our problem and we all need to step up to help."

For a list of the Kingdom Center's current needs, download a wishlist:

kingdom wish list.doc

For more on the project, go here.

THE FACE OF HOMELESSNESS is looking quite different to Cathy Brudnicki these days.

"We are seeing people who have never needed our services before," the executive director of the Ventura County Homeless and Housing Coalition told a recent gathering of Ventura leaders. "These are the people who used to be donors who are asking for help."

The soured economy has caused many more to start looking for help, Brudnicki said. Last year's count of the county's homeless population was put at almost 2,000 people but most say the numbers will rise in the latest tally. 

Many people tend to think of those hanging out in Plaza Park Downtown as typical of the homeless population here. But in reality an estimated 85 percent of these folks are hiding or living in their cars out of sight, said Cindy Cantle, who works for Supervisor Steve Bennett and chairs the Homelessness Task Force.

Many more are just one step away from desperation. In the City of Ventura, an estimated 20,000 people are at risk for homelessness because they earn under $25,000 per year, according local homeless advocate Sherry Cash.

But it costs very little to help those on the edge of homelessness.

"Since 2007, 54 families have been kept in their homes through the Ventura Homeless Prevention Fund," Cantle said.

TO BE ELIGIBLE to receive a grant from this fund, an applicant must be a Ventura resident still in housing, but in imminent danger of eviction or otherwise losing their housing. The precipitating cause of the problem must be determined to be a one-time, non-repetitive event or circumstance such as an accident, loss of job, temporary illness, medical bill, or a needed car repair that can be effectively mitigated with short-term corrective action.

Assistance is limited to $1,000 and is available only once per year per family or household. Checks are made payable only to third parties, landlords, mortgage companies, medical providers, auto shops, etc.

The One City, One Weekend, One Fund event this weekend raises money for this very worthy cause and culminates in an event Monday, Feb. 16 at My Florist Wine Café and Bakery at 76 S. Oak Street, Ventura. Donors are being asked to stop by between 1-3 p.m. Entertainment and refreshments are planned.

If you're in the neighborhood, stop by. If not, fill out this form and mail it in to the address provided.

The local efforts are part of an established county-wide program to address homelessness, but hard times have made the work much harder for these dedicated volunteers and social workers.

"The 10-year strategy to prevent homelessness is working but the economy is not," said Peter Brown, Community Services Manager for the City of Ventura.