Correspondence - #62 and HA#3 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

SUBJECT: Consent Calendar Item #62 - Support for WISEPlace Dear City Council and Special Housing Authority, On behalf of the WISEPlace Board of Directors, we are writing to express enthusiastic support for WISEPlace and its 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. As active members of the Orange County community, with several of us residing in Santa Ana, we are 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 residents’ disabling conditions and create a stable environment where they can thrive. The 2022 Point in Time showed there were over 5,700 homeless residents in Orange County. Affordable housing options for women are a growing community concern. One in three women in the homeless population are unaccompanied, with over 40% also being survivors of domestic violence. These women endure high rates of first-time homelessness, longer spells of homelessness, and higher barriers in accessing stable housing. Unaccompanied women also report extremely high incidence of trauma -whether physical, sexual, or psychological in nature-that is compounded by their ongoing houselessness. The proposed housing options at this site with so many community services and amenities will provide a safe home for future generations. Affordable housing is a resource to our communities that provides stability, connection, and economic opportunity to our neighbors. We only have this resource if we build it. With so many individuals rent- burdened and struggling to make ends meet because of rising rents across the state, this housing would provide a tool to help our community and provide stability and protection for our vulnerable residents. This opportunity to provide affordable housing at this existing location can create a welcome solution to a growing community need. We are pleased to provide support. Tim M. Johnson President VP Finance & President-Elect Philanthropist JLK Rosenberger, LLP *Proud Santa Ana Resident