Laserfiche WebLink
13 r <br />2/15/2022 <br />Mayor Sarmiento and City Council <br />City of Santa Ana <br />20 Civic Center Plaza <br />P.O. Bo 1988, M31 <br />Santa Ana, CA 92701 <br />Re: Item 25: Strengthen Housing Opportunity Ordinance and Affordable Housing Funds <br />Policies and Procedures <br />Dear Mayor and City Council Members, <br />I write on behalf of Chispa to express our support for the amendments to the Housing <br />Opportunity Ordinance and Affordable Housing Funds Policies. The changes will ensure <br />that development in the City addresses housing needs for all residents in a balanced manner. <br />Many working families in Santa Ana continue to be impacted by the rising cost of housing and <br />the scarce housing opportunities available at rents they can afford. In addition, many continue to <br />face economic uncertainty because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The creation of housing <br />at all income levels is vital to our recovery and will provide stability for the majority of Santa <br />Ana residents that are struggling with housing availability and cost that existed long before the <br />pandemic. It is crucial that the City strengthen the Housing Opportunity Ordinance (HOO) to <br />ensure that housing opportunities are available for all residents in Santa Ana along with new <br />housing options being created in the City. <br />The City of Santa Ana is a renter majority city and despite the City's progress towards meeting <br />its Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) allocation for very low- and low- income <br />housing, there continues to be a great need for housing that is affordable to its residents. The <br />current pandemic has increased the economic and housing pressures on low-income families in <br />Santa Ana. As incomes are decreasing and jobs are being lost, many low-income families are <br />struggling to remain housed. This is especially true for the majority of Santa Ana's low-income <br />households that are suffering with the impacts of housing cost and economic uncertainty. <br />According to the City's local data, 70 % of Santa Ana renters are low and very low-income