OC HOUSING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

OCHA recently completed leasing 57 studio units for formerly homeless individuals in Buena Park in what was originally a motel named Airport Inn. Airport Inn was converted into a modern apartment complex offering several community amenities including a dog park, a basketball court, and outdoor fitness equipment The property was renamed from Airport Inn to Ascent Apartments as a reminder where the property began to where it is going.

OC Housing & Community Development contains three divisions, each connecting with and serving people. The Housing Assistance Division, known as the Orange County Housing Authority, connects low-income households with rental assistance. OCHA pays a portion of the rent for over 12,000 households throughout Orange County on a monthly basis The service that OCHA provides is integral to connecting people with housing

The Community Development Division oversees the Federal grant funding allocated to the County from the Department of Housing and Urban Development for housing and community development activities. Community Development helps to connect eligible participating cities with funding that can improve a lowincome neighborhood, such as improvements to sewers, sidewalks, and/or senior facilities and housing rehabilitation for low-income residents They also are an integral part of making sure the use of funds is compliant so the County can continue to receive these funds to continue to serve low-income communities and households.

We recently received a call from a client who had been living in her car for several years and was thanking us for inspecting and approving her unit, she was calling to let us know that she had just picked up her keys and was on her way to move into her unit. She thanked us for helping her through the process

Housing Development administers the County’s affordable housing programs. This includes both affordable housing development as well as a first-time homebuyer program. Housing Development connects with various stakeholders including developers, cities, service providers and other County agencies all in an effort to build future affordable and supportive housing in Orange County that serves not only the individual low, very-low or extremely low income household, but that also serves the community by preventing and ending homelessness.