Editorial:

Five hundred thousand dollars could go a long way to help 150 struggling local families keep roofs above their heads in these tough economic times.

We applaud the Costa Mesa City Council’s unanimous decision Tuesday to accept a federal grant of $560,237 for housing those families, bearing in mind that its members previously were split over the issue. The money will help families who recently became homeless, or are in danger of losing their homes, pay for rent, deposits and utility bills.

The vote came two weeks after Mayor Allan Mansoor and Councilwoman Wendy Leece expressed misgivings about whether Costa Mesa should accept this federal hand-out at all. At the Sept. 1 council meeting, the two voiced worries that illegal immigrants might benefit from this infusion of American taxpayer money.

However, before the council voted, Mercy House and Serving People in Need, nonprofits that serve needy families and homeless people, and which were picked by the city to dole out the grant money among the families, told the council they would agree to check the recipient families’ immigration status.

The mayor, Leece and the rest of the council did the right thing. It would have been foolish for Costa Mesa not to take the money.

With cities and school districts across California having to deal with bone-lean budgets, Costa Mesa needs all the help it can get to provide low-income families with housing and shelter.

And, even if some of the folks benefiting from this money have entered the country illegally, providing all these Costa Mesa’s needy families with decent and stable housing can only make the city a safer place because it will keep them off the streets.