Photos courtesy Housing Trust Fund Ventura County (Housing Trust Fund VC).
VENTURA COUNTY — Housing Trust Fund Ventura County (Housing Trust Fund VC) announced that its 7th Annual Compassion Campaign raised more than $200,000, a new record for the organization. Held Thursday, May 7 at Walnut Grove at Tierra Rejada in Moorpark, the event brought together more than 200 community members, business leaders, and elected officials under the theme “The Sweetest Investment,” a reflection of the lasting returns that local commitment to affordable housing generates for the entire region.
The evening’s most powerful moment came when Rosay and Jimmy Mooney, residents of Ventura Springs, took the stage to share how they went from owning a home in Maryland to living in their car with a newborn to finding a stable home in Ventura County. Three months after giving birth, Rosay and Jimmy faced eviction from their home in Woodland Hills after an economic downturn in both of their professions. Without reliable transportation and with limited options, the family eventually relocated to the Camarillo area.
“Since moving in, I feel safe,” Rosay Mooney told the audience. “Sustainability has been my word this year, because being sustainable was lost for a period of time. My child now has his own bed and room, a consistent schedule, and a consistent routine.”
In Camarillo, Sr. Deputy Jason Havelka of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and social worker Lauren Prater Mex of the County of Ventura’s Whole Person Care Program connected with the Mooney family through Project HOPE, a collaborative outreach initiative pairing law enforcement and social services to assist individuals and families experiencing homelessness. Project HOPE worked with the family to navigate housing barriers, access resources, and secure placement at Ventura Springs, an affordable housing development funded in part by Housing Trust Fund VC. Deputy Havelka and Prater Mex joined the Mooneys and Housing Trust Fund VC CEO Linda Braunschweiger on stage at the Compassion Campaign to tell their story together.
“One of the biggest challenges our clients face is locating and securing available, affordable housing,” Havelka said. “Developments like the one this organization helped fund are key in creating real options for families like the Mooney family.”
“Ventura County’s future depends on whether working families can afford to live where they work,” said Braunschweiger. “When teachers, nurses, first responders, agricultural workers, and service employees cannot find housing they can afford, the consequences ripple across our entire economy.”
