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<br /> <br />April 5, 2021 <br /> <br />www.kennedycommission.org <br />Mayor Sarmiento and City Council Members <br />17701 Cowan Ave., Suite 200 <br />City of Santa Ana <br />Irvine, CA 92614 <br />20 Civic Center Plaza <br />P.O. Bo 1988, M31 <br />949 250 0909 <br />Santa Ana, CA 92701 <br /> <br />RE: Support Item 21 : Item 4.7: Approve a First Amendment to the Conditional Grant <br />Agreement with Habitat for Humanity of OC-Development of the Lacy Street Project <br /> <br />Dear Mayor Sarmiento and Council Members, <br /> <br />The Kennedy Commission (the Commission) is a broad-based coalition of residents and <br />community organizations that advocates for the production of homes affordable for families <br />earning less than $27,000 annually in Orange County. Formed in 2001, the Commission has been <br />successful in partnering and working with Orange County jurisdictions to create effective housing <br />and land-use policies that has led to the new construction of homes affordable to lower income <br />working families. <br /> <br />The Kennedy Commission is writing to support the Habitat for Humanity OC Development of <br />the Lacy Street Project. We appreciate the City’s efforts in making progress towards meeting its <br />residents housing needs. The current pandemic has increased the economic and housing <br />pressures on low-income families in Santa Ana. This is especially true for the majority of Santa <br />Ana’s low-income households that are suffering with the impacts of housing cost and economic <br />uncertainty. This is the majority of Santa Ana residents, according to the City’s local data, 80 <br />percent of Santa Ana renters are moderate, low and very low-income renters. Since 80% of <br />renters in Santa Ana fall into the moderate, low and very low-income category and 84 percent of <br />1 <br />residents hold low-income occupations that pay less than $53,500 per year.Santa Ana’s <br />2 <br />households are predominantly families comprising 81% of households. These households are <br />3 <br />also rent burdened and live in overcrowded conditions. <br />Habitat for Humanity has developed a project that will meet the needs of the French Park <br />neighborhood and provide affordable housing opportunities. More affordable housing is <br />desperately needed in Santa Ana, and we look forward to the project’s implementation. <br /> <br />Sincerely, <br /> <br />Cesar Covarrubias <br />Executive Director <br /> <br /> <br />1 <br /> City of Santa Ana General Plan Housing Element 2014-2021, p. 14, January 2014. <br />2 <br /> City of Santa Ana General Plan Housing Element 2014 – 2021 page 11 <br />3 <br /> City of Santa Ana General Plan Housing Element 2014 – 2021 page 20 <br /> <br /> <br />