BREA : City Wins Award for Housing

The city’s affordable housing accomplishments have been recognized with the first In My Back Yard (IMBY) award presented by the nonprofit Orange County Community Housing Corp.

“Brea has a very considered approach to its community’s development,” said Allen Baldwin, executive director of the Santa Ana-based organization.

“When you involve the citizens in the process, it’s owned by the citizens and the elected officials are only carrying out what the citizens have begun,” Baldwin said. “And that’s what Brea has done.”

In receiving the award, Brea was praised for its work with Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, a nonprofit group that helps low-income families build and purchase homes with interest-free mortgages.

The city Redevelopment Agency and Habitat for Humanity have collaborated on three housing projects so far. The first was completed in 1994, and two others are in progress.

Brea was also honored for its affordable housing program, which has been in effect since 1981.

The program requires residential developers to designate 10% of their projects as affordable housing units for low- and moderate-income families.

The IMBY award also recognized Brea’s efforts to rehabilitate apartments that rent to low-income households, and for a financial assistance program that helps families buy their first homes.

The Community Housing Corp. supports housing efforts that help large, low-income families.