PORT HUENEME : Low-Cost Housing Project Dropped
The Port Hueneme City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to drop a low-cost housing plan it has been pursuing for three years, following the advice of staff that the city cannot afford to subsidize the program.
Housing Director Tina Plummer told council members that the city would have to kick in up to $500,000 to build 20 three- and four-bedroom apartments for low-income families. The City Council also acts as the housing authority for Port Hueneme.
The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development has allocated $1.5 million for the units’ construction costs, proposed for a city-owned lot at the corner of Ponoma and Clara streets. But budget cuts from the state and the sluggish economy make it impossible for the city to complete funding for the plan, Plummer said.
HUD will recapture the $1.5 million, she said.
Nearly 900 people are on a waiting list in Port Hueneme for subsidized or low-cost housing, Plummer said.
To help offset the loss of the public housing project, the city will pursue increased funding for families seeking rent subsidies, Plummer said.
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