City Councilman Jim Clarke walked away disappointed from Monday night’s meeting, and not because it was past midnight.

While he had been outvoted on the key issue of the evening – “indefinitely” funding the Rental Assistance Program – something else bothered him more.

“What are we doing about the homeless, since there was an increase in their numbers this year?” Mr. Clarke asked.

“There was not any real discussion about whether we should increasing funding for homeless since we had a 30 percent increase.

“The mayor’s priority was that there should be no homeless children in Culver City,” Mr. Clarke said.

Reportedly, more than 80 students in the School District are without a permanent, traditional home.

Among services for the homeless provided by the city, counseling services through the St. Joseph’s Center, funding for Upward Bound House, which accommodates homeless families, and schools are running a backpack program that City Hall supports. Each weekend, homeless students are allowed to take home a food-filled backpack.

(To be continued)