HUD Awards County Increased Section 8 Vouchers 

HOUSING and COMMUNITY SERVICES AGENCY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: PR-0112 PR CONTACT: John Hambuch 714.480.2830 Ken Domer 714.480.2990 June 21, 2001

HUD Awards County Increased Section 8 Vouchers

The Orange County Housing Authority’s Application for 820 New Housing Choice Vouchers is Fully Funded

(Santa Ana, CA) -The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced through Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez’s office that the Orange County Housing Authority (OCHA) will receive 820 new Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers to be used to provide more affordable housing choices for Orange County’s residents. The Section 8 Rental Assistance Program is a rental subsidy paid directly to a landlord or property manager that results in lower-income tenants paying no more than 30% to 40% of their income towards housing costs. Average rents in Orange County range from a low of $816.00 in Stanton to a high of $1,638.00 in Newport Beach and are often beyond the ability of a family earning 50% of the area median income ($36,850 for a family of four) to pay. The allocation of 820 new Housing Choice Vouchers, on top of 740 awarded in the past year, brings the total number of households that can be assisted by OCHA to 8,989. OCHA serves all of Orange County with the exception of the cities of Anaheim, Garden Grove, and Santa Ana which operate their own housing authorities.

"This is tremendous news for Orange County and its residents," stated Paula Burrier-Lund, Director of the County’s Housing & Community Development Department. "The 820 new vouchers complement the Board of Supervisor’s efforts to increase affordable housing opportunities for Orange County’s residents, including making the creation of more affordable housing their number two strategic priority. We are moving forward on this important issue!"

The Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers are an important tool in offering affordable housing opportunities to Orange County residents. Many families, seniors, and disabled individuals often spend more than 50% of limited incomes on housing or are forced to live in substandard housing, commute long distances, or live with more than one family in a single housing unit. OCHA has a Waiting List for Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers which is currently open to accept applications for the entire month of June, 2001. The County of Orange and the cities of Westminster, Stanton, Fullerton, Irvine, Buena Park, and Fountain Valley have declared the month of June as Rental Assistance Awareness Month in support of OCHA’s opening of the Waiting List and to encourage residents to apply for rental assistance. The Waiting List will close on June 30th and no applications will be accepted if postmarked later than June 30th. The Waiting List may not open for another 3-5 years. Interested persons may call (714) 480-2740 for information on the Waiting List or via the Internet at www.ochousing.org.

Property owners and landlords are encouraged to call OCHA to inquire about the benefits of accepting Section 8 Rental Assistance. Interested property owners or landlords may call (714) 480-2970.

"These vouchers are important tools for lower-income Orange County families to help make ends meet. This assistance will help both those looking for rental housing, and those who are looking for tenants for their properties," said Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez. Congresswoman Sanchez has assisted OCHA in their efforts with HUD.

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