ORANGE COUNTY, CA â Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva (D â Orange County) commends the County of Orange Board of Supervisors for their partnership and mutual leadership on the Orange County Housing Finance Trust. The Orange County Board of Supervisors approved the Orange County Housing Finance Trust on March 13, 2019, with elected officials from Mission Viejo, Huntington Beach, and Fullerton present at the hearing.
âThis legislation is a product of teamwork, and refreshing cooperation in Orange County. This was a bipartisan effort to find permanent housing for our struggling residents,â said Quirk-Silva. âSupportive Housing means having cooperative actions at every level; local and state resources will combine with the efforts of the private sector, as we secure Permanent Supportive Housing as the backbone of our efforts.â
Sharon Quirk-Silva continues her efforts to support the needs of Orange County, and address homelessness and affordable housing issues by authoring Assembly Bill 448 (AB 448), with Assemblymember Tom Daly, and the sponsorship of the Orange County Board of Supervisors. AB 448 authorizes the County and cities in Orange County to create the Orange County Housing Finance Trust. Two Supervisors, two countywide elected officials and five city council members will sit on the governing board of the OC Housing Finance Trust. The OC Housing Finance Trust will not regulate land use, serve as owner or operator of housing units, impose fees, nor approve a housing project or program if the local governing body does not support it. The agreement balances the need to bring much-needed housing units online while retaining local control in development decisions.
OC Community Resourceâs Housing Funding Strategy set an initial goal of 2,700 new supportive housing units and affordable housing units within six years. Funding sources, such as Proposition 1, Housing for a Healthy California, and Multi-Family Housing Program Supportive Housing, reduced the capital gap to $252 million. The Board also designated $70.5 million in Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) money on top of $25 million âNo Place Like Homeâ monies already allocated to address this critical priority.
To date, the Boardâs support for housing has resulted in funding applications and developer interest of more than 1,000 units of supportive and affordable housing units.