ORANGE : Rental Assistance Funds All Used Up

A pilot program providing rental assistance to mobile home owners has reached capacity just 10 weeks after kick-off, said Priscilla Headrick, coordinator of the program for the Orange Redevelopment Agency.

The $50,000 program, which began Feb. 19, offered a maximum grant of $100 per month to low-income residents living in one of the city’s 10 mobile parks.

Headrick said she had already received 45 applications that would completely expend the allocation for this year. To be eligible, applicants must earn less than half of the city median income and spend more than 50% of their income for housing. Most applicants were senior citizens who were awarded the maximum monthly grant, Headrick said.

The County Housing Authority has a similar program subsidizing rent to mobile home park owners, but that program has a two- to three-year waiting list, Headrick said.

The Redevelopment Agency program will be re-evaluated in September.