COLUSA, Calif. (MPG) — A standing-room-only crowd packed the Colusa City Council chambers and spilled into the hallway as leaders with the Ministerial Association of California Counties addressed rumors about the group’s finances, operations and its recent purchase of the former J.C. Penney building in downtown Colusa.
The association volunteered to speak during the meeting after council members and city staff received repeated questions from residents about how the organization is funded, whether it planned to open a homeless facility and what its growing presence means for the community.
“I love this town. I love it very much,” said Rob Brayfindley, the association’s director of community and pastoral engagement, who told the council he has lived in Colusa for nearly four years. “We just want you to know about what we actually do, because a lot of what’s been said out there is not accurate.”
Brayfindley said the organization began locally as the Colusa County Ministerial Association before expanding into neighboring counties, which led to a name change for the larger entity. He emphasized that a local ministerial association of pastors still operates in Colusa County and that most churches participate.
Much of Brayfindley’s presentation focused on finances. He said fears that the organization is heavily grant funded or poorly monitored are unfounded.
“About 3 percent of our budget comes from grants,” Brayfindley said. “The rest is earned revenue. We bill for services, and the agencies we bill are demanding. They want results.”
He said the organization is audited by insurance companies, the state and independent auditors, and that its funding model requires measurable outcomes, such as reduced emergency room use and more people placed into stable housing.
Brayfindley highlighted several programs, including the North Valley Community Food Bank, which he said serves four counties and operates 11 distribution points in Colusa County. He said the food bank distributed 189,000 pounds of food locally in 2025 and provided Christmas food baskets to 953 families.
He also described PneumaCare, which he said works with people willing to commit time and effort to stabilizing their lives. Brayfindley said Pneuma Care housed 46 households, representing 51 people, in Colusa County over the last year.
“If your need tomorrow is exactly the same, we’re not fixing the problem,” he said. “But if you’re willing to work, we can do this together.”
Brayfindley said the organization rents 10 buildings in Colusa County, employs 42 people locally and has nine job openings. He said the larger organization has about 110 employees across eight counties.
Questions then turned to the former J.C. Penney building at Fifth and Market, which the organization purchased after making an offer in September.
Board member and treasurer Greg Prow said the inspection report nearly ended the deal.
“We just about decided not to do it,” Prow said. “There was a fire. There are structural issues. There are things in that building nobody wants to know about that have to be remediated.”
Prow said the organization expects at least six months will be needed to obtain approvals from the building and fire departments before remediation can begin. He said construction could start after that process, possibly later this year, depending on permits and required repairs.
Prow also addressed one of the most persistent rumors.
“We are not going to move homeless people into that building,” he said. “That was never the plan.”
He said the site is intended to house administrative offices and serve as a headquarters for programs already operating in the county.
Residents raised concerns about parking and downtown impacts once the building is in use. Prow said employees already park near existing facilities using street parking, alleys and nearby areas, and said the scale of operations at the site will depend on how long repairs take and what the building ultimately supports.
Community members also voiced concerns about senior services and homelessness more broadly. Organization leaders acknowledged frustration around senior nutrition programs and said funding levels, kitchen requirements and facility costs limit how quickly services can expand. They said maintaining home-delivered meals and working toward a Colusa congregate meal site remain goals.
On homelessness, Brayfindley said data the organization reports to insurers and health agencies shows progress in reducing the number of people living without housing, though he acknowledged the issue remains visible and complex.
Brayfindley invited residents to attend an open house on Monday, Jan. 26 from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Assembly of God, 1787 Highway 20, in Colusa.
“There’s no presentation,” he said. “Come in, look at the numbers, ask the questions, and talk to us.”