Annual Ceremony held in recognition of Women’s History Month

SACRAMENTO – Today, Assemblywoman Quirk-Silva (D-Orange County) and the California State Assembly honored Ellen Ahn as the 65th Assembly District Woman of the Year 2018. Assemblywoman Quirk-Silva recognized the Orange County leader for her community involvement during the annual Assembly Floor ceremony.

“Ellen Ahn has been exceptionally talented in bringing valuable resources to the Orange County, and especially to the Korean American community.” said Quirk-Silva. “She has started from small, grassroots organizing to large-scale community organizing in order to provide people with a myriad of resources. She is a living example of a leader that gets results for the people of Orange County.”

Ellen Ahn, and her family, has lived in the Fullerton community of North Orange County for more than 20 years. Ellen is an active member of the Fullerton Korean Presbyterian Church and has been very involved with many local non-profit organizations which, help to strengthen the community.

"I try to live by a verse in the Gospel according to Luke: “to whom much was given, of him much will be required,” said Ellen Ahn. “To me, that means taking what I have; my energy and resources, which at times may not seem much to others, and to seize opportunities to be of help in any situation work towards making the community around me a bit better."

(Sacramento, CA) – Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva (D – Orange County) has been appointed Chair of the bipartisan Select Committee on Orange County Chronic Homelessness by Speaker of the Assembly Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood). Assemblywoman Quirk-Silva’s appointment marks the formation of this committee. Joining Chair Quirk-Silva as committee members, will be Orange County members of the California State Assembly: Cottie Petrie-Norris (D – Laguna Beach), Dr. Steven Choi (R - Irvine), Tyler Diep (R – Huntington Beach), Philip Chen (R – Brea), Bill Brough (R – Dana Point), and more.

“Solving the state’s housing crisis is a priority, and it will demand solutions that are both local and global,” said Speaker Anthony Rendon. “Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva is the ideal person to lead the Legislature’s work to tackle Orange County’s chronic homelessness, and I think her committee’s bipartisan approach will also give us insight into the issues at a state level.”

“I will use my background, experience, and dedication to help get people off the streets in Orange County, give them a roof over their head, and help address the reciprocal public safety implications,” said Quirk-Silva. “There is a lot of work to be done, and we have to constantly strive to do more when confronting the homelessness epidemic in Orange County. I'm glad that my legislative work, and district support, has proved my commitment to this issue, and look forward to my hearings on how we can help Orange County.”

SACRAMENTO — Today, Assemblywoman Quirk-Silva (D - Orange County) has introduced Assembly Bill 816 (AB 816), with 8 coauthors from the Assembly and the Senate, to establish a Flexible Housing Program (FHP) securing quality housing that Californians experiencing homelessness can afford. The State FHP would consolidate funding for people experiencing homelessness into one centralized resource. Cities, counties, and Continuums of Care would then access this single program for a variety of housing options and services. Eligible uses include operating funds for housing developments, move-in assistance and rental assistance, intensive case management and wrap-around services to support residents and promote housing stability, coordination with case managers, and assistance with landlord/neighborhood relations.

“We need a comprehensive approach to homelessness epidemic in California – the first step in this approach must be affordable, stable rental homes for people experiencing homelessness to get back on their feet. But to make this solution a reality requires resources and coordination. That is why we need a united public and private endeavor such as this flexible funding that helps ensure no one in our state is living without a stable, permanent roof over their head,” said Assemblywoman Quirk-Silva. “We must consider every approach in a comprehensive and compassionate manner, so we can improve the quality of life for every Californian, and also provide flexibility to local government to implement solutions that work.”

Housing programs should cross boundaries of health, criminal justice, and child welfare systems to prevent people who are exiting these systems from falling into homelessness. Housing is crucial to health and well-being, education and successful reentry to communities. The State Flexible Housing Program would provide funds to cities, counties, and Continuums of Care to address the varied needs of California’s most vulnerable residents, while bridging the housing, homelessness, health care, criminal justice, and child welfare systems, and the public and private sectors.