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<br />· Escalating rents have impacted the ability of lower income households to obtain <br />decent and affordable housing. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities <br />reports that there is one affordable housing unit for every four lower income <br />households in Orange County. Households with no or poor credit history are <br />severely impacted. <br /> <br />In an effort to mitigate these barriers the City of Santa Ana undertook the following <br />actions during the report period: <br /> <br />· Utilized public resources to fund the rehabilitation of rental housing units with <br />private property owners and CHDOs. Public assistance will result in low rents for <br />assisted units thus partially offsetting the impacts of some of the barriers listed <br />above. Additionally, CHDO ownership ensures long-term affordability and <br />maintenance of housing units. <br /> <br />· During the report period, Habitat For Humanity completed the construction of one <br />single-family detached home that was occupied by and sold to very a low-income <br />household. In addition to utilizing HOME funds to assist with the acquisition of <br />land to facilitate this new construction, "sweat equity" was contributed by <br />community volunteers and the home-buyers. The combination of public <br />assistance, nonprofit resources and sweat equity helped overcome the high cost <br />of homeownership that is typical in Orange County. <br /> <br />· The City's Housing Authority conducted outreach to owners at neighborhood <br />meetings to encourage participation in the Section 8 rental assistance program, <br />The Authority's staff also provided counseling to new/prospective Section 8 <br />tenants on the importance of good credit history. Credit counseling was provided <br />by the Consumer Credit Counseling Center, a local nonprofit agency. <br /> <br />4. ACTIONS TO OVERCOME GAPS IN INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURES AND TO ENHANCE <br />COORDINATION: The City worked closely with local institutions to initiate programs <br />that link economic incentives with neighborhood and community development <br />objectives. These efforts included building relationships with neighborhood <br />associations, community based lending agencies, nonprofits, and educational <br />institutions. The City also supported programs aimed at enhancing coordination <br />among various City departments. <br /> <br />Examples of actions undertaken during the report period to overcome gaps and <br />enhance coordination included the following: <br /> <br />· The City's Workforce Investment Act (WIA) advisory board played a key role in <br />creating employment opportunities for lower income Santa Ana residents. The <br />WIA board is comprised of various community leaders representing private <br />employment, education, social services and government. This diversity in the <br />board's representation ensures that the community's workforce needs are <br /> <br />19 <br /> <br />9/7/05 <br /> <br />190-23 <br />