Supervisors to Discuss Housing Spending Plan
The Ventura County Board of Supervisors will discuss a plan today to spend $856,600 next year to help low-income homeowners rehabilitate their houses, $2.7 million to develop affordable housing and more than $10 million to subsidize low-income renters.
The housing plan outlines how the county’s unincorporated areas and the cities of Camarillo, Fillmore, Santa Paula, Moorpark and Ojai plan to spend more than $17 million in federal, state and local funding earmarked for affordable housing projects in fiscal 1992.
It is the first year that federal authorities have required a housing strategy plan from subsidy recipients. The county’s four largest cities must submit separate plans.
The county plan also calls for $716,000 to acquire dwellings and make them available for low- and moderate-income home buyers, $556,000 in services for the poor and $534,000 in administrative costs.
Of the $17 million, about $10 million in federal funds have to be spent on rent subsidies, so local officials have little say in how most of the funds are spent.
But county and city officials plan to spend the bulk of the money that they control on home rehabilitation programs and incentives for developers to build affordable housing.
“I like to see as much money as possible spent in rehabilitation and new construction,” said Carolyn Briggs, executive director of the Ventura County Area Housing Authority.
“While rental assistance is a laudable goal, it’s an administrative nightmare and it doesn’t solve the recipients’ problems.”
Under federal law, prospective home buyers qualify for affordable housing units if they earn 80% of the area median income--about $38,000 a year for a family of four, county officials said.
The county’s top priority outlined in the housing plan is helping low-income homeowners rehabilitate their houses.
“The general lack of affordable housing countywide makes the preservation of existing stock an important component” of the plan, county officials said.
The plan also identifies three second priorities: construction of affordable homes, housing for abused children and housing for the mentally ill.
The third priority is rental units for low-income residents. The fourth priority is helping first-time homeowners. The fifth is social services and support programs for the homeless and those at risk of becoming homeless.
County officials said these priorities reflect the cities’ most immediate needs.
The county and the six cities included in the plan anticipate helping 3,162 families, including assistance for 900 homeless people.
The following is a breakdown of what each community included in the plan expects to accomplish:
Camarillo plans to spend $25,000 to help the Cabrillo Economic Development Corp. build 25 to 50 affordable housing units, $218,000 to acquire sites for development of low- and moderate-income housing and $78,000 to rehabilitate houses in the Barry/Raemare and Town Center neighborhoods. The city also plans to spend $45,000 on housing-related social programs and $1.6 million on rental assistance.
Fillmore plans to spend $400,000 on its house rehabilitation program and $1.9 million on rent subsidies.
Moorpark plans to spend $360,000 to acquire property for an affordable housing project. The city also contributed $5,000 to a program that helps people find affordable housing. Rent subsidies total $280,000.
Ojai plans to invest a $250,000 subsidy in a 21-unit low- and very low-income housing project by Cabrillo Economic Development Corp., a nonprofit housing developer. Another $54,000 has been earmarked for home rehabilitation and $14,000 for support services, including the Commission for Human Concerns, which works with the homeless. Rent subsidies total $546,000.
Port Hueneme plans to spend $1.5 million on construction of public housing and $125,000 on rehabilitation projects. Rent subsidies total $1.8 million.
Santa Paula plans to spend all of its uncommitted housing funds--$100,000 in house rehabilitation loans and grants. Rent subsidies total $2.4 million.
The county will invest $419,000 in support services, including the installation of water and sewer systems for Casa Pacifica home for abused children near Camarillo. The county will also fund a Homeless Ombudsman program and the Homeless Mentally Ill project sponsored by Catholic Charities. The county plans to invest $100,000 in a new senior housing project in Santa Paula and another $100,000 in house rehabilitation. Rent subsidies for unincorporated areas total $1.9 million.
Cabrillo Development Corp. officials called the plan a step in the right direction.
“It’s a good planning document, but the bottom line is putting projects together,” said Rodney Fernandez, Cabrillo’s executive director.
“Some cities are doing their share, others are starting to address the problem,” he said.
The Board of Supervisors will hold a 10 a.m. public hearing at the county Hall of Administration to close a 60-day comment period on the plan.
After today’s hearing, county officials will incorporate the comments and submit a final draft to federal authorities--a condition for receiving federal funds.
