Correspondence - #62 and HA#3 - Laserfiche WebLink

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SUBJECT: Consent Calendar Item #62 - Support for WISEPlace Dear City Council and Special Housing Authority, Homelessness is at a critical stage in Orange County, particularly with unaccompanied women, who do not want to go to co-ed shelters for obvious reasons. I am writing to express enthusiastic support for WISEPlace, of which I have been a long-time supporter and active volunteer. WISEPlace’s efforts to develop supportive housing for women experiencing homelessness, some of Orange County's most vulnerable citizens for whom there has been a longstanding housing shortage is essential. As an active member the Orange County community, I am pleased to support this solution to ending homelessness. The proposed development will create 47 units of supportive housing to bring extremely low-income individuals out of chronic homelessness, where they can live paying no more than 30% of their income in rent. This represents a meaningful continuation of WISEPlace’s longstanding community impact and includes vital wrap-around services to address these women’s disabling conditions and create a stable environment where they can thrive. I have spent a decade or more in Orange County politics, working to elect people that will work on solving problems, while not creating others. I know the members of the Santa Ana City Council care about homelessness and now is our chance to make another dent in this growing population. Having been recruited for the Board of Directors of WISEPlace in the 90’s, I was invited to a luncheon at WISEPlace where I was astounded to find a resident that I had gone to high school (Westminster High School) with in the 60’s. She related to me how she ended up here at WISEPlace. I realized then that “there but for the grace of God go I.” and signed up then. I have never looked back. I have been a volunteer setting up beds when we took in 60 women from the riverbed, I, a volunteer at our second house helping the women acclimate to life and search for their future, I have been on and off the Board of Directors. My most significant worked was when I headed up WISEPlace’s Capital Campaign and helped to steer WISEPlace to permanent supportive housing and to Jamboree Housing Corporation to build our dream. We cannot let this opportunity to provide affordable housing at this existing location pass us by. We can create a welcome solution to a growing community need. I am pleased to provide my support. Respectfully,