ORANGE, CA (AUGUST 27, 2018) - The Association of California Cities- Orange County (
ACC-OC)- the region's leading public policy, strategy, education and advocacy group-announces a historic legislative victory, in a comprehensive regional effort to permanently solve homelessness in Orange County. Assembly Bill (AB) 448 proceeded through both Senate and Assembly chambers with bi-partisan support. AB 448 codifies language for the formation of a Joint Powers Authority; the governance architecture of the Orange County Housing Finance Trust.
The Trust is designed as a fiduciary funding tool to facilitate the construction of 2,700 units of Permanent Supportive Housing in Orange County. The development initiative is a foundational element of a comprehensive continuum of care, focusing on serving the region's vulnerable homeless population.
"Solving homelessness in our communities requires a concerted effort to provide long-term housing solutions for those experiencing homelessness caused by economic and health related concerns," said Jennifer Fitzgerald, ACC-OC President. "The Trust has the potential to provide a necessary financing vehicle to pool and leverage both public and private funding sources, towards a large-scale regional collaboration directed at mitigating homelessness."
AB 448, co-authored by Assemblymembers Sharon-Quirk Silva and Tom Daly, received the overwhelming support of the Orange County Assembly and Senate delegations, as well as the non-profit, business, civic and philanthropic communities.
"Passage of AB 448 brings Orange County one step closer to solving the homelessness crisis in our cities," said Quirk-Silva. "Homelessness cannot be solved on the streets, and we need Permanent Supportive Housing as the backbone of our efforts to provide a full measure of wrap-around services."
"I think we're building a model for other counties, and am excited that we have had leadership come from the ground up, and working together across the business, non-profit and government sectors," said Senator John Moorlach.
"This effort to institute the Trust demonstrates the remarkable ability of leaders across Orange County to come together in the spirit and purpose of solving homelessness," said Fitzgerald. "Now the hard work begins, and we are committed to ensuring its implementation through a locally controlled and collaborative process."
The bill now moves to the Governor's desk for signing.
ABOUT THE ACC-OC:
The Association of California Cities - Orange County (ACC-OC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization representing the interests of the 34 cities in Orange County. ACC-OC is committed to protecting and preserving local governance, while offering a vast array of benefits and resources for city staff and elected representatives. ACC-OC's ongoing mission is to be the authoritative regional voice for public policy issues, with focus on: education that empowers, policy that is collaborative and advocacy that is service-oriented. Learn more at
www.accoc.org.
