VENTURA COUNTY — Housing Trust Fund Ventura County (Housing Trust Fund VC) has received a $500,000 investment from Brokaw Ranch Company, a multi-generational family farm that has been part of Ventura County’s agricultural heritage for more than six decades. This community impact investment towards Housing Trust Fund VC’s Everyone Deserves a Home Revolving Loan Fund will help the organization continue to support the development of affordable housing for those who contribute to the fabric of Ventura County’s economy and community.
“Our family sees this as a win-win proposition. This investment contributes to the health and vitality of Ventura County and nets us some interest income. We have long admired the work of Housing Trust Fund Ventura County and hope others will join us in supporting their efforts,” said Deborah Brokaw Jackson, President, Brokaw Ranch Company.
Ellen Brokaw and her children, owners of Brokaw Ranch Company and respected local farmers, have been steadfast advocates for affordable housing for farmworkers and the essential workforce for more than two decades. Brokaw Ranch Company values and contributes to the well-being of Ventura County’s workforce, regional and agricultural communities, and the local environment. This investment underscores a growing recognition among private investors that affordable housing is the foundation of a healthy local economy.
“This investment is a powerful example of how local business leaders can strengthen both community and economy. By putting private capital to work for affordable housing development, we’re helping ensure that Ventura County’s essential workers have stable homes, our businesses have a reliable workforce, and our communities remain vibrant and sustainable,” said Linda Braunschweiger, CEO, Housing Trust Fund Ventura County.
In Ventura County, where an estimated 36,000 farmworkers live and work, most earn annual median incomes well below $25,000—leaving many with less than $2,000 in monthly take-home pay, over $500 short of the region’s average rent, now exceeding $2,500. As a result, more than 70% of farmworkers live in overcrowded conditions, often doubling or tripling up in homes meant for a single family. (Ventura County Farmworker Housing Study)
This investment into Housing Trust Fund VC’s Revolving Loan Fund will be combined with contributions from other public and private partners, creating flexible, below-market-rate loans that are deployed early in the housing development process to developers—when financing is often hardest to secure. As projects are completed and loans are repaid, the principal is reinvested into the revolving fund, generating a lasting source of capital for future affordable housing developments and a modest return for investors.
Housing Trust Fund Ventura County – Launched as a 501c3 nonprofit corporation in 2011, Housing Trust Fund VC is the local trusted leader in helping to increase affordable housing options throughout Ventura County by leveraging public-private partnerships to provide low-cost, flexible loans early in the housing development cycle. As of July 2025, Housing Trust Fund VC has committed to investing $50 million through its Revolving Loan Fund, creating 1,899 affordable apartments and homes for very-low, low-and middle-income employees, transitional age foster youth, veterans, farm workers, and the homeless.