Ventura County Supervisors allot unprecedented $30.5 million towards housing and homeless projects

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. – The Ventura County Board of Supervisors recently allotted an unprecedented $30.5 million towards housing and homeless projects after Ventura County Housing Coalition members called on the board to prioritize housing in its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding allocation.

Of the $30.5 million, $15 million will go towards acquiring and constructing new affordable housing across the county, according to Maria Navarro, senior policy advocate at CAUSE.

“This is exactly the kind of action envisioned by the American Rescue Plan to support the recovery of our most vulnerable communities hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Lucas Zucker, policy director at CAUSE. “Too many local families are facing skyrocketing rents, impacting their health and economic security.”

Housing unaffordability continues to be a major roadblock for working families in Ventura County, according to data from the Ventura County Housing Coalition.

“Sadly, our county is number one in the nation experiencing the worst housing shortage, with more than 31,000 units short," said CEO of the Housing Trust Fund Ventura County Linda Braunschweiger, referencing a housing underproduction study conducted by Up for Growth.

“The collaboration between the County, nonprofit developers, and activists would ensure safe affordable homes for our local veterans, farmworkers, seniors, houseless population, transitional-age foster youth, and low- and extremely-low-income families and individuals.”