Housing program awards $83 million for veterans and their families

SACRAMENTO – The Veterans Housing and Homelessness Prevention program (VHHP) has awarded more than $83 million in its fifth round of funding to help create housing opportunities for California’s veterans who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

The program’s funding comes from Proposition 41, passed by California voters in 2014 to provide $600 million for the development of affordable housing for veterans and their families. The awards go to qualified developers and nonprofits to build, acquire, rehabilitate or preserve affordable multifamily housing. This round of awards will help fund projects in 10 California counties, and will create a total of 421 units for veterans.

“This fifth round of awards demonstrates an ongoing successful collaboration among our agencies and developers throughout the state, and reinforces the reality that our veterans need affordable housing with wrap-around supportive services, especially in these times of economic uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic,” said CalVet Secretary, Vito Imbasciani MD. “Our veterans have made great personal sacrifices during their service. In turn, they deserve a safe place they can call home.”

“This level of partnership between state agencies and nonprofits absolutely essential to preventing homelessness among our veterans,” said Lourdes Castro Ramírez, Secretary of the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency. “By investing in both housing and services together, and marshaling our resources, we are better able to serve the men and women who have served us.”

The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA), and the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) administer the VHHP program. Including this round, the program has awarded approximately $360.3 million toward 75 developments. These developments are expected to ultimately create homes for more than 2,562 veterans who are at risk of or experiencing homelessness.

Housing instability and homelessness among women veterans with children and veterans with disabilities are also on the rise. These service-rich communities employ the Housing First model and address many of the challenges that vulnerable veterans face and support their movement toward housing stability.

“The Housing First model removes barriers that many homeless veterans face in trying to find affordable homes,” said HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez. “It gives veterans a place to call home without making them meet unrealistic requirements, so they’re in a better position to address any issues they may be experiencing. It then provides them the support they need to tackle those issues. This critical program serves those who served this country in a way that shows respect and compassion.”

“California’s voters showed their overwhelming support for helping veterans by passing VHHP,” said Tia Boatman Patterson, Executive Director of CalHFA. “It’s now our responsibility to distribute the money fairly and equitably so the most at-risk veterans who are facing homelessness get the housing help they need.”

The partners:

California Department of Veterans Affairs – CalVet’s mission is to serve all of California’s veterans and their families. With nearly 1.6 million veterans living in the state, CalVet strives to ensure that our veterans of every era and their families get the state and federal benefits and services they have earned as result of their military service. To learn more on how CalVet assists veterans, visit www.CalVet.ca.gov.

California Department of Housing and Community Development – HCD is dedicated to the preservation and expansion of safe and affordable housing so more Californians have a place to call home. Our team works to ensure an adequate supply of housing for Californians and promotes the growth of strong communities through its leadership, policy, and program development. For more information, please visit www.hcd.ca.gov.

California Housing Finance Agency – For more than 40 years, CalHFA has supported the needs of renters and homebuyers by providing financing and programs so more low to moderate income Californians have a place to call home. Established in 1975, CalHFA was chartered as the state’s affordable housing lender. The Agency’s Multifamily Division finances affordable rental housing through partnerships with jurisdictions, developers and more, while its Single Family Division provides first mortgage loans and down payment assistance to first-time homebuyers. CalHFA is a completely self-supporting state agency. Its bonds are repaid by revenues generated through mortgage loans, not taxpayer dollars. Learn more at www.CalHFA.ca.gov.

CONTACTS:

CalVet – Thora Chaves, thora.chaves@calvet.ca.gov,  (916) 653-2547

HCD – Karen Naungayan, karen.naungayan@hcd.ca.gov  (916) 207-9132

CalHFA – Kathy Phillips, kphillips@calhfa.ca.gov, (916) 326-8605

 

Round 5 Awards 

Project Name	Project Location	VHHP Amount	Sponsor Name
11010 Santa Monica Boulevard	Los Angeles	$6,435,000	Weingart Center Association
Liberty Lane	San Bernardino	$3,713,485	A Community of Friends
Ventura Veterans Home	Ventura	$9,444,540	A Community of Friends
Veterans Village of Cathedral City	Riverside	$5,509,996	Ikaika Ohana
Oasis Senior Villas	Riverside	$9,621,970	A Community of Friends
Permanent Supportive Housing for Homeless Veterans	Marin	$3,000,000	Homeward Bound of Marin
500 Lake Park Apartments	Alameda	$5,128,887	EAH Inc.
North Harbor Village	Orange	$10,000,000	Jamboree Housing Corporation
Topanga Apartments	Los Angeles	$7,110,262	Affirmed Housing Group, Inc.
Victory Gardens	San Joaquin	$6,802,600	Delta Community Developers Corp.
Norwalk Veterans Housing	Los Angeles	$5,368,996	Mercy Housing California
Post 310	San Diego	$9,283,837	Hitzke Development Corporation
Broad Street Place	San Luis Obispo	$1,737,651	Peoples’ Self-Help Housing Corporation