County moves to put ‘roofs over heads’
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors moved Tuesday to increase the supply of affordable housing, including policy changes that free up local housing development funds, and the building of 12 or more “tiny houses” on County-owned land in Santa Rosa.
“We are going to put roofs over heads that would have otherwise been on the street,” said Sonoma County Board of Supervisor Chairwoman Shirlee Zane. “It is clear we need more housing, and we need it now.”
The $1.03 million Tiny House pilot project is one of the first in the nation to use government-owned land.
The property, at 665 Russell Avenue in Santa Rosa, will be leased to Community Housing Sonoma County (CHSC). The nonprofit public benefit corporation was awarded the contract following a competitive solicitation process in July of 2016.
The three-year pilot will demonstrate the viability of a combined housing and service model and will include on-site management.
The project will to help provide safe, reliable and comforting homes to the community, said Paula Cook, executive director of Community Housing Sonoma County. “The Tiny Homes Pilot Project fully embodies the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors priority to provide housing to all.”
The project will use Federal Veterans Administration Supportive Housing funding for monthly rental subsidies for all residents through the Santa Rosa Housing Authority.
The Board also adopted a change in policy that will allow the use of the County’s Housing Trust Fund in both unincorporated and incorporated cities. Previously, the funds were limited to unincorporated county areas.
The County Fund for Housing receives “in-lieu” fees from developers as part of the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance, as well as contributions from the County’s General Fund. Since its inception the County Fund for Housing has invested over $24 million to construct more than 550 affordable homes.
The new measures, Zane said, “move our strategic priority of addressing affordable housing and homelessness boldly forward.”
Pictured: a proposed Tiny Home development in Madison, WI
2 thoughts on “County moves to put ‘roofs over heads’”
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Does this mean that the housing is destined for veterans exclusively? Perhaps my Section 8 will finally happen after 3 years on the list, and now being homeless.That would be amazing .
I am all for helping the homeless and impoverished. But when our roadways are in such sorry shape and the county says it does not have the money to fix and/or maintain them, why is it doing this? I don’t get it.