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COURTESY PHOTOThis is a rendering of the future Village Senior Apartments complex in Buellton.
The state has awarded $11.6 million for two affordable housing developments — one in Buellton and the other in unincorporated Ventura County.
The Cabrillo Economic Development Corp. has been selected to receive the funding from the California Department of Housing and Community Development and its Housing for a Healthy California Program.
One of the complexes, Village Senior Apartments, will be built in Buellton.
When completed, the Buellton complex will offer 50 units of permanent supportive housing reserved for seniors and senior veterans. The gated community will include a social services delivery area, a recreation room, a central courtyard for outdoor activities and a community garden, according to the CEDC.
“This is funded by a grant of $3,960,000 for 50 units of low income housing for seniors and veterans,” Margarita H. de Escontrias, CEO of CEDC, told the News-Press. “There will be 44 one-bedroom units and six two-bedroom units. We have lined up all the financing for the development with the exception of tax credits from the state of California.”
The CEDC plans to begin construction next summer, pending the approval of tax credits.
If tax credits are denied, CEDC plans to reapply for them in early 2023 and postpone construction until December 2023.
The process to apply for tax credits is a “highly competitive process that is rated, ranked, scored and given points,” Ms. de Escontrias told the News-Press. “Most of the time, an affordable housing developer will apply two to three times. It is a very complex multi-layered funding.”
“We aren’t worried,” she said. “We think we have an extremely competitive application.
“This housing is targeted for those at risk of losing housing or have lost housing, as well as seniors looking for affordable units,” she continued. “The homeless population in Santa Barbara has risen about 4% this year, with homeless residing in and outside of Buellton and near Lompoc.”
The second grant — this one is $7.6 million — goes to the Camino de Salud project in an unincorporated area of Ventura County. The money will aid in the creation of 49 affordable housing units, according to the CEDC.
“We are thrilled, and honored, that our two properties were selected in this competitive funding application,” said Victoria J. Brady, the CEDC chief financial officer. “These two housing communities will provide safe, affordable housing for many years to come, and Cabrillo is proud to partner with the California Department of Housing and Community Development to continue to provide much needed housing in California.”
Ms. de Escontarias said the CEDC is looking to “expand our footprint in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties and looking to build more affordable housing as permitted by law. It has been our mission to build, develop and manage more affordable housing. We exist to provide housing not only to special needs, and formerly homeless, but also to seniors, farm workers and large families. We manage over 1,000 apartment homes in Ventura County.”
The Buellton complex will be CEDC’s first complex in Santa Barbara County.
Ms. de Escontarias said the CEDC’s mission is “to build affordable housing for low-income households. Our services include assistance to access and link to Medi-cal enrollment, case management, peer support activities, behavioral health care, crisis counseling, career services and more.”
For more information, visit www.cabrilloedc.org.
email: kzehnder@newspress.com
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