Three affordable housing projects in Los Angeles County and one in Orange County were awarded a total $28.9 million in state grants for the construction or expansion of apartments and townhomes reserved for qualifying veterans and their families, it was announced Thursday.
The disbursals to the Weingart Center Association, Affirmed Housing Group Inc. and Mercy Housing California in Los Angeles, and the Jamboree Housing Corporation in Orange, were part of Round Five of funding from Proposition 41, approved by voters in 2014 to supply $600 million in grants to developers and nonprofits that acquire, build, rehabilitate and preserve multi-family housing units.
More than $83 million was allocated in the latest round of distributions, officials from the California Veterans Housing & Homelessness Prevention Program said. To date, $360.3 million has been awarded to 75 projects.
“This round of awards … reinforces the reality that our veterans need affordable housing with wrap-around supportive services, especially in these times of economic uncertainty,” CalVet Secretary Vito Imbasciani said. “Our veterans have made great personal sacrifices during their service. In turn, they deserve a safe place they can call home.”
The award to Weingart Center Association totals $6.43 million for a project at 11010 Santa Monica Blvd., while the share to Affirmed Housing Group’s Topanga Apartments is $7.11 million.
Mercy Housing’s Norwalk Veterans Housing will get $5.36 million and Jamboree Housing’s North Harbor Village received $10 million.
Projects that receive awards are required to meet criteria that facilitate access by vets and their immediate loved ones, including limitations on rent, based on the “Housing First” model.
“Housing First removes barriers that many homeless veterans face in trying to find affordable homes,” California Department of Housing & Community Development Director Gustavo Velasquez said. “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. This critical program serves those who served this country in a way that shows respect and compassion.”
More information is available at www.hcd.ca.gov.