Bringing the holiday spirit home

Ventura, CA — The Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura (HACSB) has successfully leased 49 families into a new low-income housing development, right before the holidays. The HACSB has completed Westview Village Phase III, which is going to provide a brand-new apartment unit for 105 families. Twenty-one of the units are for formerly homeless families.

Westview Village is a redevelopment project of the oldest public housing development in the city of Ventura. The entire campus was broken down into four phases and Westview Village III is the second phase to be completed and leased. Phase I was completed and leased in 2019 and phase II of the project is currently under construction.

The development was developed with Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, and other funding sources, under a special program called Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD), through the Department of Housing and Urban Development. RAD is a central part of HUD’s rental housing preservation strategy, which works to preserve the nation's stock of rental housing targeted to those with very low and extremely low income, promote efficiency, and build strong, stable communities. The HACSB and BRIDGE Housing are the codevelopers of this complex.

The families in this development are receiving a housing subsidy through a Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) also known as a Section 8 voucher. These families then contribute 30% of their income to the monthly rent. These families will also have access to an eclectic array of self-sufficiency programs and services, access to case management, programs for children, eligibility for the HACSB academic scholarship, and much more.

Westview Village III has onsite laundry, washers and dryer hookups, a community room, a drought-resistant landscape, a community garden, solar panels, campus-style wireless internet, and many more sustainable features. The project is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Neighborhood Development (ND) certified community. LEED is the most widely used green building rating system in the development industry.

Leticia Ferrer and her family are one of the families that moved into a new home. “As a single mom, this is amazing. Although this is a rental, for us it feels like buying a home. We have never moved into anything new, so after so many years of struggle this feels like a reward, a sense of security,” said Ferrer. “Our agency wanted to bring as many families home for the holidays as we could and succeeded. Our employees worked overtime and ensured numerous families were in their new homes for Christmas. We are proud to be building a vibrant community at Westview. Everyone deserves a safe place to call home”, said Denise Wise, Chief Executive Officer.

To learn more about the Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura, visit hacityventura.org.

 

ABOUT THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF SAN BUENAVENTURA

The HACSB is the largest residential landlord in the City of Ventura, with 219 public housing units, more than 1,480 Housing Choice Vouchers, and 821 nonprofit affordable rental units. The agency is actively working to increase the supply of affordable housing, improve the quality of life, and help its residents achieve self-sufficiency and/ or age in place.

 

 

                                                           

 

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