SACRAMENTO, CA - The California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) and the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) announced that the state will receive nearly $12 million in additional funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to continue California’s Section 811 Project Rental Assistance program.
The Section 811 program is a collaborative effort between CalHFA, HCD, the California Department of Health Care Services, and the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, and enables disabled individuals (age 18-61) to transition from nursing homes, other institutions, or homelessness into healthier supportive housing. The $12 million will be used to provide rental subsidies for approximately 283 households in Los Angeles County.
“Every individual has the right to live in safe, affordable and quality housing,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. “This program will help provide stable housing to people who may be suffering from a physical or mental disability by providing additional funds so they can pay the rent and live in a decent place. Programs like this help individuals become productive residents and stakeholders in their communities.”
In February, California received recognition as the first state in the nation to move residents into apartments made possible by an earlier round of HUD Section 811 funding. The first residents transitioned from long-term care facilities into Garden Village apartments in Sacramento. The complex was renovated by Domus Development in 2014 to preserve affordable apartments for qualified residents whose annual incomes are below 30% of the area median income.
“People my age should have an opportunity like this program,” said CJ, a new Section 811 resident. “I’m only 51 and we need somewhere else beside a convalescent [home] to go to.”
The residents served through this program will have access to an array of community-based services and supports that are flexible, individualized, and tailored to their needs. These include voluntary services and supports that help people with disabilities get and keep housing in community settings, as well as access to health care and behavioral services that support wellness, recovery, and community integration.
“You had no independence [in the convalescent home],” said Joseph, a new Section 811 resident. “Here, it’s on you to do it, and it feels good. Every day I wake up smiling. It’s nice.”