OC Housing Trust Will Launch in 2019

The Orange County Housing Trust is officially moving forward. The California State Legislator has unanimously passed AB 448, which will allow two public agencies to form joint powers of authority. This new law, which was signed by Governor Jerry Brown this week, will allow Orange County to form the Orange County Housing Finance Trust to provide gap funding solutions for developers to build permanent supportive housing that will provide both shelter and services to transition people out of homelessness.

Since Governor Brown has signed AB 448 into law, it will officially go into effect January 1, 2019. In the interim, city leaders will work together to create a framework for the trust next year. “In the next three and a half months, we are going to work locally with elected officials, county elected officials, private stakeholders and Orange County city managers to put together vision and values as well as long-term visions and practical framework. Once the law goes into effect in January, we can start putting the housing trust together,” Jennifer Fitzgerald, ACC-OC President, tells GlobeSt.com. “We are appreciative that this bill passed unanimously out of both houses and that legislators around the state recognize that Orange County is trying to do something special here. We are also excited that the ability to create a housing trust that looks like Orange County and provide effective solutions to give those who are homeless in Orange County a second chance at a productive life is now a possibility.”

The organization has identified a need for 2,700 units of permanent supportive housing, and has worked with cities throughout the county to identify potential development sites for 2,000 units. While the housing trust will be involved in providing gap financing needs—when projects fall short of fully funding development of low-income and supportive housing—but will not be involved in the development of each project. “We are not in the business of land-use planning. Our city councils have that authority,” says Fitzgerald. “We have worked cooperatively with cities across Orange County, asking them to identify possible sites where low-income and homeless housing providers could build permanent supportive housing. We have worked with individual cities to identify sites where that kind of development could be possible.”

While the housing trust will help to provide financial support, there are many challenges to developing housing to serve the homeless population and transition people our of homelessness through services and support. “The most critical piece and the most difficult is the entitlement process, which each city is going to have to do,” adds Fitzgerald. “Our city councils and the county board of supervisors will have to wrestle with these issues and work collaboratively in their communities to site permanent supportive housing where it makes sense for them. That is going to be a long and ongoing process.”

While there is still work to do, Orange County cities have been supportive of the OC Housing Finance Trust and its initiative. “Our experience has been that cities across Orange County have been willing to work together to solve homelessness in their community,” explains Fitzgerald. “Each of our communities is very different. We recognize that as we are working to help our cities solve homelessness in their communities, it is not going to be a one-size fits all approach. We are very respectful of the differences in every community, and we are intent on working cooperatively and collaboratively to be of service to them.”