SAN DIEGO — FEMA announced our region will receive more than $39 million as part of its Shelter and Services program, half of which the county is getting directly.
This year's grant is four million more compared to last year.
According to county leaders, more than 100,000 asylum seekers have been released into San Diego just within the past six months.
Local organizations say it’s taken a lot of resources to manage the influx, and more is needed.
"There is a gap of about $11.8 million, even just to maintain the existing infrastructure that we have in our community. And so again, it's really a critical opportunity for the county to come alongside organizations like JFS and Catholic Charities, in addition to those advocates and organizations that are supporting for the folks that are being released to the streets of San Diego,” said Kate Clark, Senior Director of Immigration Services at Jewish Family Service.
Of the $39.2 million awarded to the San Diego region, half is going directly to Catholic Charities, which they are splitting with Jewish Family Service, both of whom provide immigration services such as temporary shelter.
The other half is going directly to the county.
The county has until April 26 to come up with a plan on how to use their portion, but some local organizations say they haven't done so, nor have they reached out to them for help.
They're calling for a regional plan that includes them, since they're the experts in this field.
The CEO of Catholic Charities told CBS 8 he too welcomes an opportunity to work with the county, saying continuing this work is going to take all the resources they can get.
"We are picking up anywhere between 400 to 500 individuals, including the vulnerable individuals every day. That's our capacity for what we can do. Hopefully, this additional funding that has come into the county will allow the county to vision for what operations can be put into place that nobody is left on the streets here in San Diego," said Vino Pajanor.
A county spokesperson told CBS 8 they are working on a plan, and while it will include allocating money to local organizations, they haven't specified who yet, noting the Board of Supervisors still has to weigh in.
Also undetermined is whether the money will be used to reopen a temporary migrant welcome center, which shut down in June due to a lack of funding.
WATCH RELATED: Migrants seeking asylum dropped off at San Diego transit stations