Housing vouchers headed to county

Paul Clinton

The Orange County Housing Authority has received $3.4 million in

low-income housing vouchers, some of which are expected to benefit

local residents.

The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development announced

the grant funding in an internal memo obtained by the Daily Pilot.

County low-income housing officials said the funding would allow

them to extend housing vouchers to 452 of the 12,000 people now on

their waiting list. The agency’s current 9,100 vouchers have already

been given out.

“We’re tickled,” said John Hambuch, who is the manager of the

county’s housing assistance division. “This is very exciting.”

County low-income housing managers in March applied to the

Department of Housing and Urban Development for 900 vouchers.

Low-income families use the vouchers to help them obtain “decent,

safe and affordable” rental housing, the memo states.

There are 940 Costa Mesa residents on the county’s waiting list

and 90 residents of Newport Beach.

Among those now using vouchers, 503 live in Costa Mesa and 89 in

Newport Beach.

County housing officials set a series of restrictions on who is

eligible for the vouchers. The person’s household income must be

below 50% of the county’s median level, which is about $75,000 now,

Hambuch said. That would put the median at $37,500.

Veterans are given top preference on the list, per state law.

People who live and work in the county cities the program covers are

given second crack. In that group, the elderly, disabled and working

families get top consideration.

Residents of Anaheim, Garden Grove and Santa Ana do not fall under

the program’s umbrella because those cities have their own low-income

housing programs.